Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=8/13/02

TYPE=INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

TITLE=CHARLES ARMSTRONG

NUMBER=3-290

BYLINE=PAT BODNAR

DATELINE=

INTERNET=

/// EDITORS: THIS INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN DALET UNDER SOD/ENGLISH NEWS NOW INTERVIEWS IN THE FOLDER FOR TODAY OR YESTERDAY ///

HOST: North and South Korea have ended a second day of high-level talks in Seoul, with both sides reporting progress on key issues. Topics up for discussion range from family reunification to restoring rail links. Charles Armstrong is the Director of the Korea Research Center at Columbia University in New York. He spoke with V-O-A News Now's Pat Bodnar about the significance of the talks.

MR. ARMSTRONG: These are the first cabinet-level talks that North and South Korea have had since problems became more acute between North Korea and South Korea, as well as between North Korea and the United States, since early this year; in particular, since the naval clash in the Yellow Sea between North and South Korea. This symbolizes that the North and South are coming back together after these immediate problems, but also after a longer period of very little contact between the two sides over the last year or so.

It is difficult to say how much really productive results we can expect from this, but the fact that they are happening at all is itself quite significant.

MS. BODNAR: These talks occur as Pyongyang is introducing some economic reforms, with what anticipated effect?

MR. ARMSTRONG: The significance of the reforms should not be exaggerated. They are quite important by North Korea standards. These include adjusting prices quite dramatically to come closer to market levels, to increase wages more or less correspondingly, to adjust the currency to reflect a more accurate exchange rate, and so forth. But these are still very minor changes in terms of the actual economic system within North Korea. Productivity is still very low. Investment from abroad is still very low. These are important steps, but it remains to be seen how much impact they will really have on the North Korean economy.

MS. BODNAR: What do you think is motivating Pyongyang at this point?

MR. ARMSTRONG: It did become quite isolated after the incident in June, and it needs to reach out, it needs to engage in dialogue with the South, to help its economy, to improve its political profile abroad, and also as a gesture toward the United States, which it does want to improve relations with again. And the U.S., both under Clinton and Bush, has always insisted that a prerequisite for improving relations with the U.S. is to engage in dialogue with South Korea. So I think the improvement of relations with the U.S. is also behind this.

HOST: Charles Armstrong is the Director of the Korea Research Center at Columbia University in New York. He spoke with VOA News Now's Pat Bodnar.

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