[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[June 16, 1994]
[Pages 1086-1088]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters on North Korea
June 16, 1994

    The President. Good afternoon.
    In recent weeks, we have been consulting with our allies and friends 
on the imposition of sanctions against North Korea because of its 
refusal to permit full inspections of its nuclear program. Today there 
are reports that the North Koreans, in discussions with President 
Carter, may have offered new steps to resolve the international 
community's concerns, saying that International Atomic Energy Agency 
inspectors and monitoring equipment would be left in place and that 
North Korea desires to replace its present nuclear program with a new 
light water reactor technology that is more resistant to nuclear 
proliferation.
    If North Korea means by this, also, that it is willing to freeze its 
nuclear program while talks take place, this could be a promising 
development. As we review these reports today and in the days ahead, I 
want to take a moment to explain the extent of our interests and the 
steps we are taking to protect them.
    Our Nation clearly has vital interests on the Korean Peninsula. Four 
decades after the conflict there that claimed hundreds of thousands of 
South Korean and American lives, South Korea continues to face a threat 
of a million troops, most of them massed near its border.
    America's commitment to South Korea, our treaty ally, our trading 
partner, our fellow democracy, is unshakable. We have some 37,000 
American troops in Korea to maintain that commitment, and their safety 
is of vital importance to us.
    We also have an interest in preserving the stability of the Asian-
Pacific region. And we have a compelling interest in preserving the 
integrity of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and to prevent the spread of 
global nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
    Therefore, in response to North Korea's nuclear activities, we have 
consistently pursued two goals: a nonnuclear Korean Peninsula and a 
strong international nonproliferation regime. We've made serious and 
extensive efforts to resolve the North Korean issue through negotiations 
and have given North Korea many opportunities to return to compliance 
with its own nonproliferation commitments, made first 9 years ago when 
North Korea signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and in 1991, 
when North Korea agreed with South Korea to pursue a non-nuclear Korean 
Peninsula.
    We've made clear that these negotiations could continue, but only if 
North Korea cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency and 
did not deepen its violation of international nuclear safeguards. If 
today's developments mean that North Korea is genuinely and verifiably 
prepared to freeze its nuclear program while talks go on--and we hope 
that is the case--then we would be willing to resume high-level talks. 
In the meantime, we will pursue our consultations on sanctions at the 
United Nations.
    In recent weeks I've consulted--or days, in recent days I've 
consulted with President Kim of South Korea, Prime Minister Hata of 
Japan, President Yeltsin of Russia, and others. I will continue to 
consult closely with them on this matter, with other international 
leaders and, of course, with Members of Congress of both parties.
    Through all appropriate means, I will keep working to ensure the 
security of South Korea, the safety of our troops, the stability of the 
Asian-Pacific, and the protection of our Nation, our friends, and our 
allies from the spread of nuclear weapons.
    There is a great deal at stake. We are pursuing our interests with 
resolve and steadiness. We are hopeful that this development today will 
be positive, and we are awaiting further evidence.
    Q. Is it possible, or probable, that you could know with full 
confidence that North Korea has

[[Page 1087]]

frozen its program? Is time a factor? Are you worried about the clock 
ticking if they really are bent on a nuclear program?
    The President. Well, the answer to the second question is, yes, time 
is a factor. The answer to the first question is, yes, we believe we 
would be able to know, based on the representations that were apparently 
made today whether they have, in fact, frozen their program while talks 
continue.
    Q. How long might that take, sir?
    Q. Mr. President, are you concerned that they might be playing for 
time and trying to weaken your hand with the Chinese and perhaps the 
Russians and others who might be worried about sanctions?
    The President. Well, we'll just have to see. These discussions 
occurred today; there will be more discussions tomorrow, tomorrow Korean 
time, which is there now. And we will just have to see. But it depends 
on what the Koreans actually meant by what they said today, and we will 
have to see.
    So Ambassador Albright continued today pursuing our consultations on 
sanctions with the nonpermanent members of the Security Council of the 
United Nations, and we are proceeding and we're just going to watch 
developments.
    Q. But there were some concerns about appearing weak in their eyes.
    The President. No. It depends on what they mean. That's why we're 
being very clear today to say that we want to know what they meant by 
their representation and whether it represents a change of position. If 
it is a different position on which we can honorably resume 
negotiations, knowing, in fact, that there will be no development of the 
nuclear program while we are having discussions with them, then it is 
not an inappropriate delay. Then it is a genuine effort to resolve 
disputes which could lead to a safer world at a much lower cost. It 
simply depends on what their intentions and actions are.
    Q. Mr. President, why have you put so much distance between the 
White House and President Carter's visit? Your aides have always 
stressed that, ``This is private. No, the President has not talked to 
President Carter.'' Why don't you talk to him? I mean, why don't you try 
to find out what's really going on, and why would you not debrief him 
when he comes back?
    The President. Oh, I intend to debrief him when he comes back. I 
absolutely do. And I talked to him before he went, personally.
    Q. You did?
    The President. Absolutely. So----
    Q. Well, there seems to be some sense that he's not representing us, 
and----
    The President. No. Well, I think it's been important in this whole 
development for the way it's unfolded that he was invited there as a 
citizen, as a representative of the Carter Center, to have a dialog, not 
as a representative of the Government but as someone who could see Kim 
Il-song and could have a detailed conversation with him. And I think 
that the way this has unfolded proves that, at least that some--we have 
gotten some information there that might not have otherwise been the 
case. So I don't have any problem with it.
    But I think it is important that the United States and its interests 
can only be stated by people who are ultimately charged with doing that. 
And I think that President Carter fully agreed with the characterization 
of his role and his mission. That is the way he wanted it as well as the 
way we wanted it, and we think that that gives us some possibility that 
something will come out of this. Whether it will or not, we still don't 
know.
    Q. Mr. President, two things, sir. Will this inevitably take the 
steam out of your effort to build support for possible sanctions, and 
second, the Senate today passed by a quite overwhelming vote a sense of 
the Senate resolution calling on you to bolster force, your forces in 
South Korea. Your reaction to both of those matters.
    The President. First, we will do whatever is necessary to protect 
our own forces there and to fulfill our commitments to the South 
Koreans.
    I met recently with all the commanders-in-chief, including General 
Luck, our commander in South Korea. I met today, again, with the 
Secretary of Defense and General Shalikashvili to discuss this and other 
issues. And we will take appropriate steps as we should, as we must. So 
there is nothing to be concerned about.
    Now, on the other issue, what happens here depends upon whether this 
is, in fact, a new development. That is really what is at stake. Will it 
take the steam out of sanctions? Not if there is nothing new here. If 
there is a genuine prospect for not only leaving the IAEA monitors and 
equipment in place and moving away from the present nuclear technology, 
which is

[[Page 1088]]

very susceptible to proliferation, to a light water technology, which is 
less susceptible, in an environment in which--and I stress--in an 
environment in which there is a freeze on any nuclear activities, then 
the international community will be able to pursue its objectives of 
adherence by North Korea to the NPT, thwarting the proliferation of 
nuclear weapons, achieving the agreement North Korea made for a 
nonnuclear Korean Peninsula in an appropriate way.
    It depends on the facts. It all depends on the facts, and that is 
what we will attempt to determine over the next several hours.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 5:45 p.m. in the Briefing Room at the White 
House.