‘Emboldened’ by its Russia, China ties, North Korea rejects US calls for talks: ‘Pyongyang can bide its time’

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US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield had called the launch “reckless”, “unlawful” and a threat to South Korea at a UN Security Council meeting, where she also reiterated that Washington’s offer for dialogue came without preconditions, with Pyongyang able to “choose the timing and topic”.

North Korea gave the offer short shrift, however, saying that “the sovereignty of an independent state can never be an agenda item for negotiations”, adding that it “will never sit face to face with the US for that purpose.”

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Nah said the move reflected Pyongyang’s propensity to only negotiate in moments of “weaknesses”, such as after its first nuclear test in 2006 when it attempted to “strike a grand bargain with Washington” amid “Soviet abandonment and famines”.

Humanitarian aid was stopped after the test, compounding food shortages in a country whose agricultural output was already hurting from extensive flooding that year.

Russia denounced the test at the time, backing a UN resolution condemning North Korea’s actions, but relations between have since warmed, with leaders Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un meeting in September, as Moscow pledged to assist Pyongyang with its space programme.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported last month that China – a long-time provider of food and fuel aid to North Korea – had also been helping Pyongyang evade a broad range of international sanctions, according to a review of UN reports, court records and interviews with experts.

Pyongyang can bide its time and is in no hurry to restart talks with the US

Gabriela Bernal, North Korea analyst

North Korea analyst Gabriela Bernal said the country’s Russia and China ties had served to “embolden” its attitude towards Washington as Pyongyang feels it “is not alone and has two of the five permanent UN Security Council members on its side”.

“Pyongyang can bide its time and is in no hurry to restart talks with the US,” she said, noting however that this could change if a new US president is elected next year – especially if Donald Trump is returned to power.

Trump met Kim twice while in office, first in Singapore in 2018 and again the following year in Hanoi, but neither summit produced a comprehensive agreement on North Korea’s nuclear programme.

Bernal, who is studying for a PhD at the University of North Korean Studies in South Korea, said Pyongyang’s refusal to negotiate with the US also stemmed from its belief that the US’ words and deeds do not match.

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Satellite imagery suggests North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons through Rason port

Satellite imagery suggests North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons through Rason port

“Even though Washington keeps offering to hold talks, it is clear the Biden administration has not changed its overall policy approach to Pyongyang,” she said, adding that complete denuclearisation remains Washington’s goal, but is now impossible and “is something North Korea has already flatly rejected”.

Bernal said the only way talks can proceed is if the US is willing to show flexibility, prioritise arms control, and be open to providing gradual sanctions relief in exchange for corresponding measures from Pyongyang.

“What particularly angers North Korea is how one day the US says it is open for the talks and then the next it deploys a nuclear-powered bomber to South Korea and holds joint drills with them [South Korea] and Japan,” she said.

“To North Korea, this strong focus by the US on deterrence does not send the message that diplomacy is a priority for Washington.”

Kim Jong-un watches the launch of a rocket carrying North Korea’s first-ever spy satellite into space last month. Photo: KCNA via Reuters

Leif-Eric Easley, an international-studies professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said Pyongyang was more focused on its nuclear weapons programme and arms race with the South.

The arms race between the two Koreas has intensified in recent years, especially with Pyongyang’s launch of a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile last year. On its part, Seoul has designed and successfully tested its own mostly short-range missiles, as well as launching its own conventionally powered missile submarine in 2021.

“Meanwhile, by exploiting so-called Cold War 2.0 geopolitics, North Korea is able to secure enough economic benefits from China and Russia to maintain the Kim regime without any negotiations over sanctions and denuclearisation,” Easley added.

The women in Kim’s life

Kim’s influential sister, Yo-jong, is believed to be behind the decision not to negotiate with the US. She currently holds the “No 2 position” in North Korean politics, according to Analyst Bernal – though there have been suggestions recently that her niece, Kim’s daughter Ju-ae, is being groomed for the top job.

Since making her public debut in November last year, Ju-ae has appeared with her father at many of the country’s most significant occasions and featured prominently in state media coverage.

But for now, Bernal said Yo-jong was still the more powerful of the two.

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“Since the main negotiating figure of [North Korea] is Kim Jong-un, it is more appropriate for Yo-jong to make the more provocative remarks instead of her brother”, she said.

RSIS’ Nah said it was likely that Yo-jong was playing the role of the “bad cop” in the “good cop-bad cop” diplomatic approach and portraying “the stiff and unyielding side of the Kim regime”.

“So if her brother ever says anything more reasonable to the international community, he will not be labelled as a hypocrite,” Nah said.



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