N. Korean nuke test remarks followed U.S. disclosure

Japan Policy & Politics, Sept 9, 2003

TOKYO, Sept. 2 Kyodo

North Korea said last week that it would conduct nuclear arms tests because the United States had revealed comments it made during bilateral talks and had tried to confirm its intentions in front of China, Japan, Russia and South Korea at the six-nation forum in Beijing, Japanese government sources said Tuesday.

According to the sources, North Korean Vice Foreign Minster Kim Yong Il told the U.S. during bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting last Wednesday that it would carry out nuclear tests and declare itself a nuclear-weapons state unless the U.S. dropped its ''antagonistic policies'' toward Pyongyang.

On the following day, during the morning session of the second day of the six-party meeting, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly disclosed how North Korea had negotiated with the U.S. during the bilateral talks, the sources said.

Kelly, who headed the U.S. delegation, said he wanted to share the information with the participating countries to ensure transparency in the multilateral talks aimed at resolving North Korean nuclear ambitions, according to the sources.

Kim subsequently admitted what he had told Kelly during the bilateral talks, the sources said.

''It is inevitable that we will take such steps if the U.S. does not change its antagonistic policies,'' the sources quoted the chief North Korean delegate as saying at the six-nation talks.

Despite this approach running counter to normal protocol, the U.S. is believed to have revealed some of the exchanges it had with North Korea to let China and Russia know that the North was still taking the same position it presented in April at three-nation talks in Beijing, the sources said.

During the six-nation talks, the sources also said North Korea criticized the U.S. for preventing it from obtaining economic cooperation from Tokyo and Seoul.

But Mitoji Yabunaka, chief of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, said, ''Japan determines its policies on its own and expresses its opinions,'' according to the sources.

Kim also criticized Japan and Russia, saying the two countries are making remarks based on U.S. instructions, they said.

The sources also said Japan had received information in advance from China before the three-day talks began in the Chinese capital last Wednesday that North Korea would join the meeting this time mainly to asses the U.S. position.

''Pyongyang is saying it will only bring its ears to the meeting as it has already made its proposals at the meetings with China and the U.S. (in April),'' the sources quoted China as telling Japan before the six-nation talks.