Remarks to Press After Receiving the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Gwanghwa Medal

QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, what assurances have you obtained from your meeting with Mr. Kim to form a complete declaration, and when do you think the next six-nation talks will be [inaudible]?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, first of all, let me just say it was a great honor just a few minutes ago to receive this decoration from the Korean Government for diplomatic service. I was really very touched, very honored, to receive this, which I really felt I received on behalf of the whole American diplomatic team that’s been working very closely with the ROK and working with the ROK on a variety of mutual diplomatic issues, including the problem of the DPRK’s nuclear ambitions. So I accepted this award with the understanding that there’s much work to be done,and that it, in a real sense, provides some extra incentive and vigor to try to get through and finish this job.
Secondly, let me say, it’s -- as it always is -- a great opportunity to come here to Seoul and to consult with my colleague and friend Chun Young-woo on the subject of the Six-Party process and where we might go next. We had a good discussion about where we are in this, and I was able to brief him on my meetings with Kim Gye-gwan.

Now in my meetings yesterday, my meeting with Kim Kye-gwan -- it was a fairly lengthy meeting -- we discussed the current difficulties of getting through the second phase. Now Mr. Kim Kye-gwan was very careful not to describe this as any kind of stalemate. He wanted to make clear that he and his government are prepared to try to make progress and get through this. I told him that we were also prepared to try to make progress on this, and I reiterated that we stand ready to fulfill our commitments, provided the DPRK is prepared to fulfill its commitments.

We talked about some of the issues, especially pertaining to the declaration, the complete and correction declaration that not only is expected by us, but is also expected from the October agreement. We talked about some ideas of how we might proceed with that. We did not discuss any particular language. We did not negotiate, for example, what the declaration might look like. But I emphasized to him the fact that, from our vantage point, we need a complete and correct declaration -- because that is the basis for going forward. And I think he fully understood our position. We promised to be in touch in the days and weeks ahead.

And I think, as everyone knows, Secretary Rice will be out here in the region. I will report to her on my visit to the region this week, which was in many respects an advance trip for her visit, and then we’ll take it from there.

So we have a lot of work to do to be sure, but I would not like to describe the Six-Party process as in any kind of stalemate at this time. It’s just on a rough road, a rough patch that we’ve had to deal with in the past and have found ways to get through.

QUESTION: Has the DPRK set any new contingencies for the declaration?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: No, they haven’t. No.

QUESTION: What did Kim Kye-gwan tell you about the declaration? I mean, recently I think we’ve heard all --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: They continue to take what they call a principled position that they have not engaged in any uranium enrichment activity nor have they been. Well, I should say he wanted to make very clear that they are not at present having any nuclear cooperation with any other country, and they will not in the future have any nuclear cooperation with any other country.

QUESTION: Based on your discussions with Kim Kye-gwan, do you see a way forward out of this [inaudible] “rough patch,” as you said?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I think, at some point we would have to see what they’re prepared to put down in a declaration. I made very clear that for us to proceed we need a complete and correct declaration. We cannot hide problems. We cannot pretend that problems don’t exist when they exist. We cannot pretend that activities don’t exist when we know that the activities have existed.

So I think it was useful to go through all of this and to make very clear why we are insistent on having a complete and correct declaration, which is called for in the Six-Party agreement. And I like to think the DPRK delegation understood our points on that. We also made very clear to them that we are committed to following through on our obligations and that they should know that as they do their obligations, we will do ours.

QUESTION: When you mentioned uranium enrichment, did you bring up whether North Korea had purchased equipment to enrich uranium?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, we have a situation where they have purchased some equipment and have been trying to show to us that this equipment is not being used for uranium enrichment -- on the theory that if you can show that the equipment is not being used for uranium enrichment, therefore we don’t have a uranium enrichment problem. And they’ve taken some steps in that regard.

What I wanted to encourage Mr. Kim to understand is that, as they take steps to show us that they’re not using equipment for uranium enrichment, that those will be considered positive steps. I think from the DPRK’s point of view they are always concerned that when they tell us something, that what they tell us will be followed by additional questions. What I want to assure them is that, yes, there will be additional questions, but not an infinite number of questions. We are simply asking questions for the purpose of seeing if we can get the answers that can resolve the matter. So I think we had a good discussion on that.

QUESTION: Next week, with the New York Philharmonic visit, what do you think this will do for U.S.-North Korean relations, and what do you hope for?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: The New York Philharmonic visit is very much in keeping with the New York Philharmonic’s role in many countries, where it has gone to very unusual places and has played music and in many ways has been a kind of precursor to American diplomacy in that regard. I want to stress that this was a private initiative by the New York Philharmonic, but I also want to equally stress that this private initiative is one that we very much support.

Now what effect it will have is really hard to say. I certainly would like to make very clear that as we go forward in the Six-Party process -- although it is to be sure a nuclear deal -- it’s also an effort to, I think, address broader issues, address broader relationships. And to the extent that anyone in the DPRK feels there’s some kind of justification for nuclear weapons because of a so-called American hostile policy, they should maybe think again -- because clearly we don’t have a hostile policy. We have a hostile policy to nuclear weapons.

So we’ll see what the effect of this is. You know, sometimes the North Koreans don’t like our words; maybe they’ll like our music. So we’ll see.

QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, you said yesterday at the airport that you discussed the idea of phase three. Why talk about phase three when phase two hasn’t been completed?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, you know, sometimes you like to kind of have a sneak preview of what’s coming next. And I think it’s fair to have a little look at how phase three might look. Obviously, you’re right. We have to get through phase two in order to have phase three. But, you know, sometimes you do like to look in the kitchen to see what the next course will bring.
Thank you very much.

QUESTION: When are you heading to [inaudible]? This afternoon?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I don’t think I have a lot of time. Thank you very much.