North Korea may restart food talks

North Korea has signalled it remains open to suspending uranium enrichment in exchange for US food aid, a deal that appeared imminent before leader Kim Jong Il died last month.

The North complained yesterday that America had “drastically” changed the amount and kind of aid it would send, but said officials would wait and “see if the United States has a willingness to establish confidence” with North Korea – a statement which observers saw as Pyongyang’s precondition for making the food-for-uranium-suspension deal happen.

Just before Kim Jong Il’s 17 December death, the US was poised to announce a significant donation of food aid to North Korea. That would have been followed within days by an agreement to suspend North Korea’s uranium enrichment programme.

Discussions were suspended after Kim Jong Il’s death, as the North turned inward for an official mourning period. Now Pyongyang is looking to solidify Kim Jong Un’s power as he extends the Kim family dynasty into a third generation.

There is also disagreement about the detail: US officials have called possible food aid to North Korea “nutritional assistance”, such as vitamin supplements; North Korea has reportedly demanded rice and other grains.

North Korea has pushed over the last year for a resumption of six-nation aid-for-disarmament talks involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan.

But the US and South Korea demand that Pyongyang first suspend uranium enrichment.