Are nuclear talks without DPRK feasible?

President Park said that as the 6-party talks have been suspended, it’s time to seek an alternative solution. 

She made the statement on January 22 following Pyongyang’s 4th nuclear test on January 6. 

President Park said the cooperation between the US and the Republic of Korea aimed at increasing pressure on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). 

New sanctions on the North are possible covering transportation, aviation, trade, coal, fuel and security. 

During his visit to China, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged China and other countries to ban imports of minerals and flights of DPRK’s Air Koryo. Kerry urged Beijing to do more to restrain DPRK’s nuclear activities.

The nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula has seen no progress in years. Six - party talks involving the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, the US, Japan, Russia, and China began in 2003 and aimed at inducing the DPRK to give up its nuclear program in exchange for economic aid. 

In 2009, the DPRK unilaterally withdrew from the talks to protest the UN Security Council’s Punitive Resolution on its long-range missile tests. 

Despite having signed agreements on nuclear weapon nonproliferation, the DPRK has appeared determined to pursue its nuclear program. It conducted three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, and 2013. 

But its claim to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb on January 6 shocked the world community because a hydrogen bomb is more dangerous than other types of nuclear bombs. 

On January 22, DPRK security officials arrested an American student on charges of activities hostile to the DPRK. Though China has voiced support for a new UN resolution on the DPRK, it warned that strong sanctions are likely to destabilize the country.