Meeting between North Korean envoy, Clinton seen as hopeful

Jo Myong Nok

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From staff and wire reports

WASHINGTON -- North Korean Vice Marshal Jo Myong Nok, described as the right-hand man of leader Kim Jong Il, met with U.S. President Bill Clinton on Tuesday in a historic sign of thawing post-Cold War relations.

Jo met with Clinton at the White House on the second day of his trip to Washington. Wearing a military uniform, Jo brought Clinton a letter from Kim saying the North Korean leader hoped to improve relations between their two nations, said Wendy Sherman, a U.S. State Department official.

Sherman described the meeting as "positive, frank and warm discussions."

She also said Clinton noted that he thought Jo would make a "pretty good politician."

Jo, whose career is rooted in the military, conveyed an important message, Sherman said, that improved military as well as civilian relations are important to North Korea.

Planned for more than a year, Jo's visit offers further evidence of North Korea's intent to emerge from its historic reserve toward the outside world.

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It also comes in tandem with a thaw in relations between North and South Korea, which culminated in the June summit between Kim Chong Il and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.

Tough, modern, outward-looking

Little is known about Jo, a soldier of 50 years and the first vice-chairman of the country's national defense commission. He arrived Sunday in San Francisco, California, for a one-day stopover before continuing on to Washington.

A former air force commander, he is described as tough and highly nationalistic. But Jo also has a reputation by North Korean standards for being modern and outward-looking.

Published accounts say he is 78 years old, but an official biography provided by North Korea listed only his military and official appointments.

Jo has been involved in the North's rapprochement with South Korea. Analysts say Jo's active role illustrates how Kim Chong Il has brought a military long associated with hard-line policies into the gradually warming relations on the Korean Peninsula.

Leader likely to discuss ballistic missiles

Once enemies during the 1950-53 Korean War, the United States and North Korea have no diplomatic relations but have been talking about opening liaison offices in Washington and Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, as a first step toward exchanging ambassadors.

Among topics Jo and Clinton likely will discuss: U.S. fears about North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile technology as well as its military sales to governments Washington opposes.

The United States has a keen interest in learning from Jo about Kim Chong Il's proposal to give up ballistic missile programs in return for foreign assistance with launching North Korean satellites.

As a representative of the Pyongyang government, Jo is expected to express the country's official desire to be removed from the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist-sponsoring nations.

Last week, the two countries took a minor step forward on terrorism when they issued a joint statement agreeing to exchange information and work toward removing North Korea from the State Department list.

But the North Koreans have yet to comply with a U.S. demand that they expel members of the extreme leftist Japanese Red Army who hijacked a Japanese airliner to North Korea in 1970.

Ambassador Sherman, coordinator of U.S. policy toward North Korea, tried last week to downplay expectations that the visit will lead to breakthroughs.

"The very fact of this visit is important and I believe historic," she said. "We are hopeful, of course ... that we will make progress on issues as well. But I think that remains to be seen, because this is a long process."

CNN Hong Kong Bureau Chief Mike Chinoy and Reuters contributed to this report.

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September 29, 2000

U.S. State Department
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
Korean Information Service
South Korean government
North Korea: Politics and Government
North Korea
UniKorea

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