Six-party talks is the name given to a series of meetings with six members - the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea (aka South Korea), the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (aka North Korea), the United States of America, the Russian Federation and the State of Japan. These talks were a result of the DPRK withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003. The aim of these talks is to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns raised by the North Korean nuclear weapons program. After five rounds of talks, little headway has been made disarming North Korea.

The main points of contention are:

• Security guarantee - this issue was raised by the DPRK since the Bush administration (2000 - Present) took office. The DPRK was worried that the US would overthrow the present DPRK government. This concern was elevated following the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan 2002.
• The construction of light water reactors - the 1994 Agreed Framework (including KEDO) stated that the memebers of KEDO would agree to build several light-water reactors in return for the DPRK to give up its nuclear programme. This agreement effectively brokedown after both sides defaulted on their side of the bargain, especially since 2000.
• 'Peaceful' use of nuclear energy - whilst the NPT allows states the right to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes, this is thought to have been used by the DPRK as a cover for pursuing their nuclear weapons programme.
• Diplomatic relations - The DPRK wants normalization of diplomatic relations as part of the bargain for giving up its nuclear weapons programme. The US has at times disagreed and at times agreed to this condition providing the DPRK irreversibly and verifiably disarms its nuclear weapons programme.
• Financial restrictions / Trade normalization - The US has placed heavy financial sanctions on the DPRK for what they see as an uncooperative attitude and unwillingness to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.
• 'Verifiable' and 'Irreversible' disarmament - Members of the six-party talks have disagreed on this. Japan and the US have demanded that the DPRK completely dismantle its nuclear programme so that it may never be restarted, and that it can be verified by the six members of the talks before aid is given. The ROK, PRC and Russia have agreed on a milder, step-by-step solution which involves the members of the six-party talks giving a certain reward (e.g. aid) in return for each step of nuclear disarmament. The DPRK has wanted the US to concede some of the conditions first before it will take any action in disarming their weapons programme, which they see as the only guarantee to prevent a US attack on their soil.

Timeline

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1st round (August 27 - 29, 2003)

Representatives:

Lee Soo-hyuk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Kim Young-il, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

James Kelly, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Wang Yi, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

Yabunaka Mitoji, Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau

Alexander Losyukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• A Chairman's Summary agreed upon for a further round of talks.
• No agreement between parties made.

2nd round (Feb 25 - 28, 2004)

Representatives:

Lee Soo-hyuk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

James Kelly, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Wang Yi, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

Yabunaka Mitoji, Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau

Alexander Losyukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• A Chairman's Statement announced with seven articles, including:
  • Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
  • Peaceful Coexistence of Participating States, stressing the use of mutually coordinated measures to resolve crises.
• Agreement to hold the 3rd round of talks with full participation during the second quarter of 2004.

3rd round (June 23 - 25, 2004)

Representatives

Lee Soo-hyuk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

James Kelly, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Wang Yi, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

Yabunaka Mitoji, Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau

Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• A Chairman's Statement announced with eight articles, including:
  • Reconfirming the commitment to denuclearising the Korean Peninsula, stressing specification of the scope and time, interval (between steps of) and method of verification
• Agreement to hold fourth round of talks in Beijing before September 2004

4th round, 1st phase (July 26 - Aug 7, 2005)

Representatives

Song Min-soon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

Christopher Hill, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

Sasae Genichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau

Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• US and DPRK cannot agree on 'peaceful' use of nuclear energy
• Three-week recess of talks due to ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting

4th round, 2nd phase (Sep 13 - 19, 2005)

Representatives

Song Min-soon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

Christopher Hill, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

Sasae Genichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau

Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• Agreement on a Joint Declaration of six articles, including:
  • Verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
  • Observe and realize the 1992 Korean Peninsula Denuclearization Declaration
  • The DPRK to agree to abandon all nuclear weapons and nuclear programs and return to the NPT as soon as possible
  • However, the states still respect the DPRK's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy as stated under the NPT
  • The issue of the light-water reactors will be discussed at a suitable time later
  • The United States and the ROK to formally declare that they have no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula
  • The United States will practice non-agression towards the DPRK
  • The United States will work to normalize ties with the DPRK and by respecting each other's sovereignty, right to co-exist peacefully.
  • Japan will normalize relations with the DPRK through the Pyongyang Statement by settling historical disputes.
  • Promising the DPRK it will receive economic cooperation and aid with energy through strenghtening bilateral/multilateral economic cooperation in energy, trade and investment. The five other members will serve as guarantors to this condition
  • The ROK will channel two million kiloWatts of power to the DPRK.
  • The Korean Peninsula peace treaty to be negotiated separately.
  • 'Words for words'; 'actions for actions' principle to be observed, stressing 'mutually coordinated measures'.
• Agreement to hold fifth round of talks in early November, 2005.

5th round, 1st phase (Nov 9 - 11, 2005)

Representatives

Song Min-soon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

Christopher Hill, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs

Sasae Genichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau

Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• Joint Statement issued with six points. This is essentially the same as the previous round's statements, except for:
  • Modifying the 'words for words' and 'actions for actions' principle to 'commitment for commitment, action for action' principle.
• No agreement on when the next talks will be held, though March 2006 looked likely at the time.

5th round, 2nd phase (postponed)

Representatives

Objectives achieved

• In April 2006, the DPRK offered to resume talks if the US releases recently frozen DPRK financial assets held in a bank in Macau. ^*
  • The US treats the nuclear and financial issues as separate; the DPRK does not.

See also

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• U.S.-North Korea relations
• U.S.-North Korea Agreed Framework
• Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center
• List of Korea-related topics

External links

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• The Best U.S. Response to North Korea's Failed Missile Test NOW on PBS, July 7, 2006
• North Korea Says It Will Abandon Nuclear Efforts, New York Times, September 19, 2005
• U.S.-Korean Deal on Arms Leaves Key Points Open, New York Times, September 20, 2005
• Nuke talks reach agreements, Korea.Net, September 19, 2005
• Full Text of Six-nation Statement on North Korea, Nautilus Institute, September 20, 2005
• Light Water Reactors at the Six Party Talks: The Barrier that Makes the Water Flow, Nautilus Institute, September 21, 2005
• Full text of Chairman's Statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China, 11 November 2005
• North Korea Unveils 5-Step Roadmap for Scrapping Nukes, Korea Times, 14 November 2005
• North Korea and the “six-party talks”: a road to nowhere, David Wall, openDemocracy, 12 April 2006
• Whither the Six-Party Talks? U.S. Institute of Peace Briefing, May 2006

Diplomacy | Foreign relations of North Korea | Foreign relations of South Korea | Japanese-Korean relations | Nuclear weapons policy

육자 회담 | 六カ国協議 | Ядерная программа КНДР | 朝核六方会谈