US, NKorea to hold first post-Kim Jong Il talks

BEIJING — The U.S. and North Korea reopen nuclear talks Thursday that will provide a glimpse into where Pyongyang's opaque government is heading after Kim Jong Il's death and test its readiness to dismantle nuclear programs for much-needed aid.

The countries were on the verge of a deal to have Washington provide food in return for Pyongyang suspending uranium enrichment when it was upended by the longtime leader's death on Dec. 17.

That North Korea has agreed to re-enter talks so soon afterward could signal a measure of cohesion and a continuation of Kim Jong Il's policies as the country transfers power to his young son and a coterie of advisers.

However, stonewalling could point to disagreement within the new leadership or unpredictable directions in policy for a government that has long sought to develop viable nuclear weapons and already has detonated two nuclear test blasts.

The workings of North Korea's government are difficult for outsiders to discern, so analysts and foreign government officials alike will closely monitor Thursday's talks in Beijing.

"The fact that North Korea has come to the negotiating table means the country is enjoying a level of internal stability," said Kim Keun-sik, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University in South Korea.

"But we can't immediately link North Korea's stability to how fruitful the talks will be," he said.

It is a sensitive time for North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong Un, who is believed to be in his late 20s. The country suffers from chronic food shortages that complicate its vow to start becoming a thriving nation during this year's centennial of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.

U.S. envoy Glyn Davies said after arriving in Beijing on Wednesday that he was looking for signs of Kim Jong Un's policies and what direction he wanted to take his country.

"All of these are a bit unknown at this stage. I find it a positive sign that relatively soon after the beginning of the transition in North Korea, the (country) has chosen to get back to the table with us. I think that is a good thing."

Davies said that the U.S. needs to see if North Korea is willing to "take steps to reassure all of us ... that they are sincere in getting back to fulfilling obligations" made in a joint statement in September 2005, which committed North Korea to abandoning its nuclear program in exchange for aid and pledges that Washington wouldn't seek the regime's ouster.