Gareth Evans' view on North Korea nuclear saga

SBS Radio Korean program conducted an interview with Professor the Hon Gareth Evans, former Foreign Minister of Australia, about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and Australia’s role in regional security.

Source: SBS

Professor the Hon Gareth Evans, former Foreign Minister of Australia, visited the University of Melbourne for a special conversation with Dr Jay Song to explore past and present security developments in the region, focusing particularly on how to reduce tension and avoid conflict on the Korean Peninsula. In the lead-up to nuclear talks between the two Koreas and Washington and Pyongyang, SBS Radio Korean program conducted an interview with Professor Gareth Evans about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and Australia’s role in regional security with the following questions: Kim Jung Un is suddenly open to nuclear talks. Do you think this apparent change in North Korea’s attitude was due to US-led tougher sanctions on North Korea? There has been a speculation that North Korea has no serious intention of giving up its nukes, suggesting he probably has another intention behind his sudden talk offer. What is your view on this? The Turnbull government has supported President Trump’s tough stance against the North. Do you think this is a right approach to regional security and what role can Australia play in reducing tension and avoiding conflict in the Asia-Pacific region? While Kim Jong-un wants 'phased' approach to denuclearization, US President Donald Trump has made it clear that his goal is the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea. How do you view the prospects of nuclear talks between the two Koreas and Washington and Pyongyang? Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC FASSA FAIIA has been Chancellor of the Australian National University since January 2010. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Hawke and Keating Labor Governments from 1983-96, in the posts of Attorney General, Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for Transport and Communications and - from 1988-96 - Foreign Minister. Dr Jay Song is a senior lecturer in Korean studies at the Asia Institute of the University of Melbourne, Australia. Previously, she was a director of migration at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute and assistant professor of political science in Singapore.