1. The Grand Bargain initiative

ㅁ  (background) Early this year, North Korea has unilaterally broken past Six-Party Talks agreements such as the February 13th and October 3rd Agreements of 2007 by reversing its disablement measures in the Yongbyon facilities and even conducting a second nuclear test.

  - Given these behaviors, we find it difficult to realize the denuclearization of North Korea by pursuing partial and incremental agreements for parts of North Korea's nuclear programs as in the past. It is against this backdrop that President Lee proposed the "Grand Bargain" during his speech at the US Council on Foreign Relations on September 21, 2009.

ㅁ (definition) The "Grand Bargain" aims at capturing in a single agreement all steps related to North Korea's irreversible denuclearizaion and the Five Parties' corresponding measures (security assurances, normalizaion of relations, and economic assistance) to realize the ultimate goal of North Korea's complete and verifiable denuclearization.

  -  The "Grand Bargain" outlines 'big action for big action' between North Korea and the Five Parties. Denuclearizaion measures should consist of irreversible steps from the initial stage, which will be linked to the corresponding measures by the Five Parties.

  - The agreement will include pairing and sequencing of the measures as well as a specific timeline. Implementation would thake place in a sequential fashion in accordance with the agreement.

ㅁ (futures consultations) The Five parties including the ROK and the US have consulted for the past several months on how to achieve the ultimate goal of dismantling North Korea's nuclear programs and have already reached a common understandging on this comprehensive approach.

  - Consultations among the Five Parties to elaborate the "Grand Bargain" will continue.

  - We will pursue the "Grand Bargain" with North Korea through the Six-Party process.


2. Q&A

[Relationship with "Vision 3000: Denuclearization and Openness"]

ㅁ Both "Vision 3000: Denuclearization and Openness" and the "Grand Bargain" are basically within the same context.

  - While the "Vision 3000: Denuclearization and Openness" refers to the ROK government's initiative for inter-Korean relations, the "Grand Bargain" represents a negotiation plan for North Korea's denuclearization and encompasses the Five Parties' corresponding measures.

[Relationship with previous agreements of the Six-Party talks]

ㅁ The Joint Statement of September 19(2005) is an agreement laying out the principles of denuclearization. The goal of the Joint Statement remains valid. The "Grand Bargain" aims at preparing a comprehensive action plan to realize the Joint Statement
.

ㅁ The February 13th and October 3rd Agreements of 2007 are partial agreements with a view to dismantling North Korea's nuclear programs. But North Korea has broken these agreements by reversing its disablement measures in the Yongbyon facilities and even conducting a second nuclear test. Thus, we will no longer pursue a simple freeze of facilities or reversible disablement measures.

  - Some elements of the February 13th and October 3rd Agreements could be well applied to the current situation and utilized under the"Grand Bargain" initiative.

[Whether denuclearization of North Korea is required as a precondition]

ㅁ The "Grand Bargain" pursues a comprehensive agreement encompassing big actions between North Korea and the Five Parties, namely North Korea's irreversible denuclearization measures and the Five Parties' corresponding measures. Therefore, it does not necessarily require North Korea's denuclearization as a precondition.

  - During his speech at the CFR(September 21), President Lee Myung-bak stated that the "Grand Bargain" pursues "dismantling the core components of North Korea's nuclear programs and, at the same time, providing North Korea with security assurances and international assistance."

[Details of steps related to North Korea's irreversible denuclearization and Five Parties' corresponding measures]

□ The Five Parties will continue to hold consultations on the details of the "Grand Bargain." 

[Whether "termination of US hostile policy toward North Korea" is included in the "Grand Bargain"]

ㅁ The termination of the US hostile policy toward the North that Pyongyang has consistently maintained means concluding a peace treaty between the US and North Korea, with drawing the US forces from the ROK, abrogating the US-ROK alliance as well as removing the US nuclear umbrella. These issues will not be discussed as corresponding measures during the negotiations on North Korea's denuclearization nor are they agenda for the Six-Party Talks.

ㅁ As stipulated in the Joint Statement of September 19 negotiations on a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula could take place regime on the Korean Peninsula could take place at an appropriate separate forum, primarily between South Korea and North Korea at a later stage.

ㅁ The concept of the nuclear umbrella was first stipulated in the SCM Joint Statement in 1978 to defend the ROK from external armed attacks in accordance with the Mutual Defense Treaty between the ROK and the US. It has developed into the current extended deterrence. Thus, the nuclear umbrella cannot be simply linked to the North Korean nuclear issue.

ㅁ It is the common position of the ROK and the US that issues representing the foundation of the ROK-US alliance such as the US military presence in the ROK will remain unaffected by negotiations on the North Korean nuclear issue.

["core components" of North Korea's nuclear programs]

ㅁ "Core components" of North Korea's nuclear programs could include weapons-grade nuclear materials and major nuclear facilities such as the 5MWe reactor, the reprocessing plant and the fuel fabrication plant, whose dismantlement would clearly demonstrate North Korea's determination toward denuclearization. /End/