YONHAP NEWS

(LEAD) Former U.S. officials urge N.K. to move toward denuclearization

   By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- Former U.S Defense Secretary William Perry has urged North Korea to complete denuclearization work before the current U.S. president's term of office expires early next year, a former senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday.

   Perry made the call when he met with North Korea's top nuclear negotiator Kim Kye-gwan in Pyongyang, hours before the New York Philharmonic's landmark concert Tuesday, the former U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Donald Gregg said.

   "We talked about all the issues" related with the North Korea nuclear dispute, Gregg said in a Seoul forum organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea. "The point was do it now. Do it while Bush is in office," he said.

   The six-party negotiations over the North's nuclear programs made progress last year when disablement work at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon began. But the pace of the removal of fuel rods from its reactor has slowed compared to earlier this year.

   Pyongyang accused Washington of slowing the process by failing to take North Korea off the U.S. terrorism blacklist and removing economic sanctions, despite its provision of a list of its nuclear programs in November. However, Washington does not regard it as a full declaration.

   Gregg, chairman of the New York-based Korea Society, which helped arrange the concert, and two former U.S officials -- Perry and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Evans Revere -- had lunch with Kim when they visited Pyongyang for the performance.

   Gregg said he stressed the importance of moving forward the denuclearization process before the next U.S. administration takes office early next year.

   "Our feeling basically is that Kim took it very seriously, and I was very happy to be part of delivering that message," he said.

   Asked about North's true intention behind its invitation of the U.S. orchestra, Revere who also attended the forum, said, "So far, it certainly hasn't been propaganda. There has been no efforts to exploit or distort anything that took place up there."
"I can only think that one of the intentions in this is to send a message to the outside world that North Korea is prepared to deal with us in a more normal way," he said.

   "Internally, I think there is a message as well. It's a message of normality if you will that 'It's O.K. for Americans to be there, show their truce face and to show who we are and to do it in a virtually unfettered fashion. And that's a very important message for the North Korean people to hear. I think they heard it."
The New York Phil. is the first U.S. cultural group to perform in North Korea. The two nations have had no diplomatic ties since they fought each other in the 1950-53 Korean War. That war ended in truce, not a peace treaty. The historic concert in Pyongyang was televised live in North Korea and internationally.

   sshim@yna.co.kr
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