Stockholm breakdown reflects North Korea's failure to compromise

[TomSea]

Stockholm breakdown reflects North Korea's failure to compromise

 By David Maxwell and Mathew Ha, opinion contributors — 10/12/19
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill

Working-level talks in Stockholm between the United States and North Korea broke down last weekend. While pursuing diplomacy is important in fostering bilateral trust, the Trump administration’s efforts have not yielded any success. Washington must re-think its North Korea policy, because Pyongyang shows no sign that it takes these talks seriously.

Kim Myong-gil, North Korea’s chief negotiator, blamed the U.S. for the failure in talks. He threatened that if the U.S. is “not well prepared” for future discussions, a “terrible incident could happen.” Despite North Korea’s persistent attacks on Washington’s unwillingness to provide concessions such as sanctions relief, the Trump administration rightly continues to withhold them due to North Korea’s lack of reciprocal actions. Washington recognizes that diplomacy cannot succeed unless Pyongyang makes a strategic decision to relinquish its nuclear program.

Unfortunately, the regime has yet to get the message. In a post-Stockholm propaganda blitz, North Korea introduced a new acronym to describe its broad demands of America: “complete and irreversible withdrawal of the hostile policy” (CIWH). This formulation appears to be a tongue-in-cheek answer to the U.S. demand for “complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement” (CVID) of Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/465502-stockholm-breakdown-reflects-north-koreas-failure-to-compromise