Whether North Korea is responding to pressure from its only ally or Kim Jong-un is repeating the bipolar diplomacy of his father and grandfather, Pyongyang has taken a step back from the brink of war.
On Friday, May 25, a North Korean envoy told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Pyongyang was willing to "take positive actions" to restart the six-party aid-for-disarmament talks that collapsed in 2008, China's state-run Xinhua news service reported.
"North Korea is willing to make joint efforts with all parties to appropriately resolve related issues through multilateral dialogue and consultations like the six-party talks, and maintain peace and stability on the peninsula," Kim's special envoy, Choe Ryong-hae, told Xi.
While this change in North Korea's tone is a welcome development after months of saber-rattling, Choe made no mention of negotiating nuclear disarmament, which has become the key sticking point for the United States, South Korea and many other members of the international community.
In an interview with Reuters, North Korea expert Cai Jian of Fudan University in Shanghai summed up the continuing thermonuclear impasse brilliantly: "The U.S. says if North Korea doesn't clearly renounce its nuclear program, it won't return to the six-party talks. But if the international community doesn't hold peace talks with North Korea, then North Korea will use that time to develop its nuclear weapons and missiles."
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