Is It Time To Begin Negotiations Again With North Korea?

Joel Witt from the US-Korea Institute and a former Clinton Administration official in charge of implementing the failed Agreed Framework with North Korea in the 1990’s, is calling for suspending military exercises and more talks with North Korea:

A successful strategy will have to include a new diplomatic initiative aimed at persuading the North to first stop expanding its arsenal and then to eventually reduce and dismantle its weapons. To persuade the North Koreans to do this, Washington will have to address their security concerns. In the short term, that may mean temporarily suspending or modifying some American-South Korean military exercises. In the longer term, it may mean replacing the armistice in place since the end of the Korean War with a permanent peace agreement.

These initiatives will be met with skepticism not only in the United States — where many people believe that negotiating with North Korea is a waste of time — but also in Pyongyang. As a North Korean official, who believes a new administration will just tear up previous agreements, said to me earlier this year, “It’s easier for us to build nuclear weapons than to be involved with you for decades only to have agreements turn into useless scraps of paper.”

Nevertheless, there are signs that North Korea is interested in dialogue. On July 6, the government issued a pronouncement ostensibly seeking denuclearization talks with the United States, specifically mentioning Kim Jong-un’s name in support of this initiative.

One reason North Korea may be motivated to consider denuclearization is economic. Since taking office in 2011, Mr. Kim has been committed to improving his country’s economy.  [New York Times]

You can read more at the link, but what reason has North Korea given that the US should end military exercises with the ROK?  They are not going to stop their provocations unless they get a deal where they get a lot of free “aid” for little to nothing in return which they can then tear up and demand a new deal later due to some made up reason.  That is how the prior agreements with North Korea have worked, what is different now?

Plus they are never going to give up their nuclear program.  From a regime security perspective why would they?  Also as far economic development, isn’t it in the Kim regime’s interest to keep their people poor so they are easier to control?  Kim just has to keep the ruling elite happy which the regime has showed the ability to mostly do and for those he can’t keep happy he tends to ruthlessly purge.  In my opinion economic incentives for little to nothing in return will only tighten his grip on power with the ruling elite and do little for the common North Korean.

Maybe I am wrong, what does everyone else think?