North Korea Calls for Better Relations With U.S.

[alp227]

Source: Choe Sang-Hun, The New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea called on Friday for an end to “the hostile relationship” with the United States, issuing a New Year’s message that highlighted the reclusive country’s attempt to readjust the focus of six-party nuclear disarmament talks.

In an editorial carried by its major state media outlets, North Korea said that its consistent stand was “to establish a lasting peace system on the Korean peninsula and make it nuclear-free through dialogue and negotiations.” The editorial added that “the fundamental task for ensuring peace and stability” was “to put an end to the hostile relationship” with the United States.

The sequence of easing tension with Washington, establishing a peace regime and then denuclearizing the Korean peninsula has been shaping up as the North’s policy approach before it re-engages in talks about giving up its nuclear weapons, according to officials and analysts in Seoul.

The North’s new emphasis on that policy sequence proved to be a stumbling block when President Obama’s special envoy on North Korea policy, Stephen W. Bosworth, visited Pyongyang last month to try to persuade North Korea to the six-nation talks about its nuclear program.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/02/world/asia/02korea.html

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Really? Is this real or just empty talk?

[Suji to Seoul]

1. Okay. . .I moved out of Suwon in April to Shijiazhuang in China

Here's the deal:

The farms in NK are failing.
There is a massive famine.
The average 15 year old NK child is eight inches shorter than the average SK child.
The country is almost broke.

Kim Jung-Il basically backed himself into a corner with this brinksmanship shit and now he's learning Lee Myung-Bak and, now, Barack Obama are not scared of his shit.

Kim Jung-Il is about to die and his son is sincerely interested in reunifying. This could be the first step toward a reunified Korea.

If this is true, I am very happy and applaud Pyongyang.

BTW, Asia is a blast, everyone. I may never come home again.

[davidpdx]

5. I've been in Korea for 6 years

(tomorrow actually is the anniversary of my arrival here). If you get a chance take a tour up to the DMZ (the one led by the US Military) it is very good and you get as close as you possibly can (right on the boarder) to the North.

There have been some swings in attitude back and forth. The election of Lee didn't help much as he's much more in your face like Bush was. But you are right, people are starving and the country is barely surviving. Kim Jong Ill is going to die sometime in this decade. His son will take over and the best thing his son could do would be to walk up to Kim Jong Ill's brother in law (who he will share power with) and blow his f-head in (he may have to also kill his older brother too). The son is western educated, so I think there is a chance you will see things improve in terms of reforms if he were to get absolute power.

Lots of good books and documentaries out there about North Korea. The Aquariums of Pyongyang was great. I also pop in and look at their site from time time (you have to use a proxy to do it). If you go to Insa-dong you can buy North Korean bills (I have quite a collection).

[ShockediSay]

6. I've been in So Korea on and off for a couple of years.

Tough negotiators.

When up against the wall {in my experience}
they will make every play to avoid a hard
deadline. Best response? - sugar coated hard
deadline w/ as many additional sanctions that
can be piled on.

[NBachers]

2. I'll take this at face value as good news until I hear otherwise

Let's follow this as it does, or doesn't, develop.

[frog92969]

3. Our rulers won't like this, NK is one of their favorite boogie men

I'd like to see every nation at the table,
it would be that much easier to sort out this mess we call a planet.

If only the "right people" would consider this good news.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

4. Munitions makers won't like it either

NK is the number one excuse for avoiding treaties on land mines.

[JonQ]

7. Going by past experiences

I would say empty talk because they want something from us.