The United States and allies South Korea and Japan on Tuesday urged North Korea to recommit to giving up nuclear weapons amid deep concern following the death of the regime’s leader Kim Jong-Il. Senior officials from the three countries held talks in Washington to plot their next steps following Kim’s sudden death on December 17, which left control of the nuclear-armed state to his young, inexperienced son Kim Jong-Un.
The US State Department said in a statement that the countries were committed to a six-nation 2005 agreement on North Korea “including its core goal of the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner.” “We also agreed that a path is open to North Korea towards the resumption of talks and improved relations with the United States, Japan and Republic of Korea through dialogue,” it said, referring to South Korea by its official name.
The 2005 agreement — which also involved China, Russia and North Korea itself — called on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons in return for badly needed economic assistance and security guarantees. North Korea stormed out of the six-way talks in April 2009 to protest what it described as US hostility.
It has since sought to resume dialogue, but the United States has repeatedly insisted that Pyongyang commit to past agreements. The United States has also urged North Korea to reduce tensions with the South.
Pyongyang in 2010 shelled an island in the South and was accused of torpedoing a warship, incidents that killed 50 people in total.
