hankyoreh

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui exits a conference center just outside Stockholm after her meeting with US State Department Special Representative for North Korean Policy Stephen Biegun on Jan. 18. (Yonhap News)

The two leaders of North Korea-US working-level discussions on denuclearization and normalization of relations, State Department Special Representative for North Korean Policy Stephen Biegun and North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, met face-to-face for the first time in Sweden on Jan. 19 shortly after the two sides agreed to hold a second summit around late February. Coming on the heels of high-level bilateral talks last week, the working-level meeting signal that the two sides are officially launching negotiations to work out the “substance” of the upcoming summit.

The first meeting between Biegun and Choe reportedly took place on Jan. 19 at the Hackholmssung conference center around 50km northwest of Stockholm. Situated on Lake Mälar in southeast Sweden, the center is often used for major meetings because of its inaccessible location. Swedish media reported that local police cordoned off the area on Jan. 19, with offers stationed at the entrance to prevent outsiders from entering.

The international conference at the center, which is scheduled to go on through Jan. 22, was organized by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and is being attended by representatives from South and North Korea, the US and Sweden. South Korea’s senior representative for negotiations on the North Korean nuclear issue, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon, is attending the event. Observers are suggesting that inter-Korean discussions and trilateral discussions with the US could take place in addition to the North Korea-US discussions.

But the chief significance of the meeting is it will mark the first discussions between North Korea and US representatives for working-level talks. While it has not been confirmed whether Choe arrived at the event ready for full-scale working-level discussions with the US, Biegun’s trip to Sweden is being seen as evidence that the high-level talks between North Korea and the US produced positive signals. With the two representatives reportedly poised for ongoing discussions over the course of their four-day stay, observers are watching to see whether they generate results beyond mere formalities.

Noting the lack of careful preparations ahead of the meeting, experts predicted the working-level talks would be more of an exploratory discussion between the two sides.

“The content of the meeting between [Workers’ Party of Korea Vice Chairman and United Front Department Director] Kim Yong-chol and [US Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo hasn’t been sufficiently examined at the current stage,” said former Institute for National Security Strategy senior research fellow Cho Sung-ryul.

“With [the Stockholm discussions] taking place almost simultaneously, it looks as though these working-level talks will mostly be a matter of exploratory dialogue,” he predicted.

Observers are also watching to see whether the two sides set a date for additional discussions.

With just a month and a half remaining before the announced date for the second summit, Choe and Biegun appear likely to work on somehow finding common ground on the key issues, namely additional denuclearization steps from North Korea and corresponding measures from the US. Pyongyang has previously announced its willingness to permit inspections of its Punggye Village nuclear test site and Tongchang Village missile engine test site as denuclearization measures, and to permanently dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear facilities in response to corresponding measures from the US.

To date, the US has only signaled a willingness to resume some humanitarian aid, but sources reported international discussions on the possibility of establishing a Pyongyang liaison office where the team inspecting North Korea’s nuclear facilities would stay. The key factors are likely to be the North’s suggested scope of reporting and dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear facilities, and the additional corresponding measures that the US proposes in response. Some within the diplomatic community have speculated the two sides could exchange an initial “list” including the suspension and reporting of nuclear material production and establishment of a liaison office. But with Pyongyang pushing strongly for the lifting of sanctions, analysts said the possibility of the US loosening some sanctions cannot be ruled out.

By Kim Ji-eun and Noh Ji-won, staff reporters

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]