Han Song-RyolThe US side stressed that the moves to scrap the nuclear program had to come first, said Sigal.Under President Barack Obama, the United States has eschewed an official dialogue with the North, but with a looming change in the White House, there is growing speculation as to whether a new administration might adopt a different track.Critics of the current policy say sanctions and non-engagement have done nothing to prevent the North’s accelerated drive towards a credible nuclear deterrent that could directly threaten the US mainland.South Korea, which has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the US hard-line on Pyongyang, stressed that the talks with North Korea had no governmental involvement.“We are aware that the US government maintains a firm stance that rushing into dialogue in the absence of North Korea’s will to de-nuclearize will only justify their wrong behavior,” a foreign ministry official told AFP.The UN Security Council is currently discussing a new resolution to punish North Korea over its fifth nuclear test in September – having already imposed tough economic measures after a fourth test in January.The Track 2 talks have been taking place sporadically for years, with meetings in Singapore, Berlin, Beijing and elsewhere.AFP
