U.S., North to Discuss Asset Freeze

Along with the resumption of the six-party talks starting on December 18 in Beijing, a bilateral talk between a U.S. Treasury team and North Korea will simultaneously take place to discuss the matter of U.S. financial sanctions on North Korea including the freeze on North Korean accounts at Banco Delta Asia (BDA) based in Macao.

At a press conference on December 13 in Washington, Christopher Hill, the chief U.S envoy to the talks, stated, “Through a bilateral talk, separate from the six-party talks, the representatives of the U.S. treasury will explain the measures taken by the U.S. to North Korea along with the reasons why.”

Hill added, “The U.S. truly wants a resolution to this matter. However, this is up to North Korea’s attitude and it will also depend on judicial matters.”

Also, Hill stressed, “North Korea suggests it is willing to precisely discuss implementing measures regarding the 9.19 joint statement at the six-party talks. We need to make some measurable progress until the end of the first session.” By saying so, he reaffirmed that denuclearizing efforts by North Korea, including suspending the nuclear facilities and allowing the return of the IAEA inspectors, are preconditions to make progress in the talks.

Hill said, “The talk will begin on Sunday night and I will stay in Beijing throughout the whole week. Considering that North Korea has conducted its nuclear program for nearly 30 years, I am not too optimistic about the results of the talks.”

Meanwhile, Hill described this resuming talk as “the first phase of the sixth round,” which differentiates from the remark of the South Korean and Chinese government in which they described the talks as “the second phase of the fifth round.”

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