US-NK contact at PyeongChang appears uncertain

Prospects of US-North Korea engagement on the sidelines of the PyeongChang Olympics remain uncertain, with top US officials sending mixed signals on the matter.

Before arriving in Japan on Tuesday, US Vice President Mike Pence said that he is open to the possibility of talking with North Korean officials on the sidelines of the PyeongChang Olympics.

“President Trump has said he always believes in talking, but I haven’t requested any meetings. But we’ll see what happens,” Pence was quoted as saying by US media.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also made similar remarks that hinted at an open approach the US is taking on the issue.  

In Japan, however, Pence focused on denuclearization of North Korea and said that “toughest and most aggressive” sanctions will be rolled out in the near future, giving no signs regarding any potential dialogue.

``The United States of America will soon unveil the toughest and most aggressive round of economic sanctions on North Korea ever - and we will continue to isolate North Korea until it abandons its nuclear and ballistic missile programs once and for all,‘’ Pence said, following his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Pence and Tillerson’s earlier comments fall in line with Seoul’s hopes for US-North Korea dialogue. Since Pyongyang’s participation in the PyeongChang Games was finalized, President Moon Jae-in and other top officials have repeatedly expressed hopes for the US to engage North Korea.

A White House official, however, was quoted as saying that negotiations with or concerning North Korea are not on Pence’s agenda during his trip to the South. According to reports, the official said that the US policy on North Korea remains unchanged, and warned against “reading too much” into the vice president’s remarks.

The unnamed White House official’s comments were later backed by US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert.

“But there are no plans to meet with any North Korean officials during or after the Olympics; I want to be clear about that. There are no plans to do so,” Nauert said in a briefing Tuesday.

“There is no shift in US policy regarding this. North Korea must, once and for all, abandon its desire for nuclear weapons and also for ballistic missiles. Do away with that desire, stop, and then perhaps we’d be willing to come to the table and have a conversation with them about it.”

Although Pence appears to be open to possible interaction with the North Korean delegation, led by North Korea’s nominal head of state Kim Yong-nam, he has made his stance on the regime very clear.

“But my message, whatever the setting, whoever is present, will be the same. And that is that North Korea must once and for all abandon its nuclear weapons program and ballistic missile ambitions,” Pence told reporters in Alaska, his first stop on his six-day visit to Japan and South Korea.

His itinerary in South Korea also suggests that his trip is designed to shore up US President Donald Trump’s recent focus on North Korea’s human rights violations.

During his stay, Pence is set to meet with North Korean defectors -- as Trump did at the White House -- and visit the wreck of the South Korean warship Cheonan. The North Korean attack on the ship in 2010 led to a turnaround in Seoul’s North Korea policies, which until that point had largely been focused on engagement.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)