01 June 1999
TEXT: PERRY 5/29 REMARKS ON MEETINGS WITH NORTH KOREAN OFFICIALS
(Perry sought views and perspectives of DPRK officials) (1370) Seoul -- In his most recent round of talks with North Korean officials, former Secretary of Defense William Perry said he stressed the concern of the United States, Japan, and South Korea over North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. Perry, a special advisor to the President and Secretary of State, and U.S. North Korea Policy Coordinator, gave a readout of his meetings with Pyongyang officials at a May 29th press briefing in Seoul. Besides the specific issues of North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, Perry said he also discussed "peace, security, and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the North East Asian region," during three and a half days of meeting with North Korean officials. An important goal of the visit, Perry said, was to explore with North Korean officials his thinking about the possibility of "a major expansion in our relations and cooperation, as part of a process in which United States and allied concerns about missile and nuclear programs are addressed." Perry visited North Korea May 25-28 with other U.S. experts on Korea at the direction of President Clinton to garner first-hand "the views and perspectives of senior officials of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK)" before completing a review of U.S. policy toward Pyongyang and making recommendations to the President. The talks, Perry said, were "quite valuable in providing me with insights into DPRK thinking on key issues of concern." Perry noted that he did not meet with DPRK leader Kim Jong Il during the visit. "A key goal of mine in this visit was to establish meaningful relationships with a wide range of senior DPRK officials with direct links to the DPRK's leader, and to convey to them, clearly and firmly, U.S. and allied views and concerns. I have no doubt that goal was achieved," he said. Perry said he also wanted to reaffirm and build on existing links and dialogues with North Korea. "In our discussions, the DPRK side emphasized its intention to maintain and respect the current elements of our relationship, including the 1993 Joint Statement, the 1994 Agreed Framework, current negotiations including the missile talks, The Four Party Talks, and other dialogues. On our side, we will also of course continue to do so," he said. In the coming few weeks, Perry added, he will present his conclusions and recommendations for U.S. policy toward North Korea to President Clinton. Following is the official text of Perry's opening remarks, as prepared for delivery: (begin text) May 29, 1999 REMARKS TO THE PRESS BY DR. WILLIAM J. PERRY, SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY OF STATE, AND U.S. NORTH KOREA POLICY COORDINATOR Residence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Seoul, Korea May 29, 1999 I'm very glad to be back in Seoul. As you know, I traveled to the DPRK at President Clinton's direction to hear first-hand the views and perspectives of senior officials of the DPRK government prior to completing my policy review and making my recommendations to the President. Let me introduce the members of the delegation that accompanied me on the trip: Ambassador Wendy Sherman, Dr. Ashton Carter, Dr. Kenneth Lieberthal, Mr. Philip Yun, General Chip Gregson, and Evans Revere. Last night, immediately after returning from Pyongyang, I called Secretary of State Albright, Secretary of Defense Cohen, and National Security Advisor Berger to brief them on my trip. Earlier today, I had an opportunity to meet with our allies from the Republic of Korea and Japan, at a lunch hosted by Minister Lim, to convey to them my thoughts and impressions of my visit. I traveled to the DPRK with the full support of, and in full cooperation with, our allies. When I return to Washington, I will have an opportunity to brief the President, to meet with senior members of the Administration to speak with them at greater length, and I will also be briefing Congress. Throughout my policy review, I have kept in close touch with our Congress. Their insights and views have been of considerable value to me during this process. In the coming few weeks, I plan to complete my policy review and convey my conclusions directly to the President. Let me now turn to the details of my trip. At the outset, let me say that the DPRK publicly has described our talks as having been "sincere, frank and held in an atmosphere of mutual respect." I fully agree with that assessment. We were warmly received and treated with considerable courtesy and kindness, in keeping with the highest standards of Korean tradition. I've already said this to my host, DPRK First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju, but let me repeat it here, I welcomed the warm hospitality that was accorded to me and the delegation, the highest level U.S. delegation ever to visit the DPRK. Our visit lasted three and a half days. We were able to hold many hours of discussions with First Vice Foreign Minister Kang on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week, with our last round of discussions ending on Friday afternoon shortly before my departure. I have already characterized the tone of these meetings. But let me add that I found them very intensive, extremely substantive, and quite valuable in providing me with insights into DPRK thinking on key issues of concern. I won't go into the details of our discussions, but we covered a wide range of topics of great importance. These included U.S. and allied concerns over the North's missile and nuclear programs, and issues of peace, security, and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the North East Asian region. On Wednesday, I was able to meet with the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, Mr. Kim Yong Nam. I used the occasion to convey to him a letter from President Clinton to the Supreme Leader of the DPRK, General Kim Jong Il. During my visit, I also conveyed oral messages from President Kim Dae Jung and Prime Minister Obuchi. On Thursday, I also met with General Ri Yong Chol, Director of the DPRK National Defense Commission, which is chaired by General Kim Jong Il. During my meetings and at social events, senior representatives of the Korean Workers Party and the Korean People's Army were in attendance, providing us with an opportunity to meet with them, as well. I also used my visit to try to gain a better understanding of the DPRK's history and its system. To this end, my delegation and I visited the birthplace of President Kim Il Song, a cooperative farm, and a number of landmarks in Pyongyang. We also visited a hospital, where we saw the benefits of assistance being provided by the people of the United States and the international community. Let me answer here what is no doubt a major question that you all probably have: I did not meet with DPRK leader Kim Jong Il. Quite frankly, we had not expected to meet him although we had indicated to our hosts that such a meeting would be useful. A key goal of mine in this visit was to establish meaningful relationships with a wide range of senior DPRK officials with direct links to the DPRK's leader, and to convey to them, clearly and firmly, U.S. and allied views and concerns. I have no doubt that goal was achieved. I also wanted to reaffirm and build on existing links and dialogues with the DPRK. In our discussions, the DPRK side emphasized its intention to maintain and respect the current elements of our relationship, including the 1993 Joint Statement, the 1994 Agreed Framework, current negotiations including the missile talks, The Four Party Talks, and other dialogues. On our side, we will also of course continue to do so. Another goal was to explore with the DPRK my thinking about the possibility of a major expansion in our relations and cooperation, as part of a process in which U.S. and allied concerns about missile and nuclear programs are addressed. Without going into detail, the concepts relating to an expanded U.S.-DPRK relationship were developed by me and my team over the six months that this policy review has taken. For that reason, it is not surprising that I do not have for you at this time anything that I might characterize as a definitive DPRK response to this idea. I traveled as a Presidential Envoy, not a negotiator; and it will take some time for the DPRK to further reflect upon the views I expressed and for us to reflect on our visit. Until I've had a chance to reflect further and to consult further with my own government, I do not wish to expand further on this trip report. Therefore, I will not take your questions. Thank you. (end text)
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