How US and North Korea Communicate Without Diplomatic Ties
2023-07-23
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1The United States and North Korea do not have diplomatic ties.
2But they still have ways to communicate.
3An American official said that the U.S. government had reached out to the North to discuss a U.S. soldier who went into North Korea and was detained last Tuesday.
4The Associated Press reported on some ways the nations could discuss Private Travis King.
5King is the first American held in North Korea in nearly five years.
6One of the most trusted ways for the U.S. to reach North Korea is through a light, pink-colored phone.
7The phone is at the U.S.-led U.N. Command at the Korean border village of Panmunjom.
8That is where King went into North Korea on Tuesday.
9The telephone line connects the officers on each side.
10The offices are reportedly only 40 meters apart.
11Matthew Miller is a State Department spokesperson.
12He said Wednesday that the U.S. Defense Department tried to reach the North's army but "those communications have not yet been answered."
13Observers say the U.S. likely used the "pink phone."
14In January, the U.N. Command said on social media that it had remained in contact with the North's army throughout 2022.
15Moon Seong Mook is a retired South Korean military officer.
16He said North Korean officers appeared to be ignoring the calls made by the U.N. Command on orders from higher-level officers.
17The reason for King's border crossing is unclear.
18He was found guilty of assault in South Korea and could be discharged from the military and face other punishments.
19Miller said the U.S. maintains a number of channels to send messages to North Korea.
20One of those is North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York.
21That mission has provided a way to have negotiations between the countries.
22It serves as a substitute embassy because the U.S. and North Korea do not have embassies in the other's capital.
23The mission played an important part in negotiating details for the meetings between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019.
24At the start of their second meeting in Vietnam, both Kim and Trump said they supported the opening of a U.S. office in Pyongyang.
25But the idea was cancelled after negotiations broke down.
26Sweden does have relations with the North and an embassy in Pyongyang.
27It has offered consular services for U.S. citizens.
28That includes citizens who had been detained in North Korea on charges of illegally entering the country or spying.
29Miller said State Department officials have reached out to Sweden about King.
30But Sweden's diplomats based in Pyongyang have not returned to the North since leaving the country because of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020.
31Still, experts say North Korea's Embassy in Sweden could be a place for communications.
32North and South Korea have a set of phone and fax lines of their own to set up meetings, plan border crossings and avoid accidental problems.
33But North Korea has not answered South Korean attempts to exchange messages using those methods since April.
34That was a time of high tensions over the North's nuclear program.
35Kim Yeol Soo is an expert at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs in South Korea.
36He said communication could happen through a hotline between the two Koreas' spy agencies.
37South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that South Korea and the U.S. were in contact, without going into more details.
38Kim Yeol Soo said North Korea will not answer the U.S. until it completes its investigation of King.
39After that, he expects negotiations between the U.S. State Department and the North Korean Foreign Ministry.
40In the past, North Korea released U.S. civilian detainees after well-known Americans, including former presidents, travelled to Pyongyang to gain their freedoms.
41Kim said similar measures could be required in King's case.
42I'm Anna Matteo.
1The United States and North Korea do not have diplomatic ties. But they still have ways to communicate. 2An American official said that the U.S. government had reached out to the North to discuss a U.S. soldier who went into North Korea and was detained last Tuesday. 3The Associated Press reported on some ways the nations could discuss Private Travis King. King is the first American held in North Korea in nearly five years. 4Pink Phone 5One of the most trusted ways for the U.S. to reach North Korea is through a light, pink-colored phone. The phone is at the U.S.-led U.N. Command at the Korean border village of Panmunjom. That is where King went into North Korea on Tuesday. The telephone line connects the officers on each side. The offices are reportedly only 40 meters apart. 6Matthew Miller is a State Department spokesperson. He said Wednesday that the U.S. Defense Department tried to reach the North's army but "those communications have not yet been answered." 7Observers say the U.S. likely used the "pink phone." 8In January, the U.N. Command said on social media that it had remained in contact with the North's army throughout 2022. 9Moon Seong Mook is a retired South Korean military officer. He said North Korean officers appeared to be ignoring the calls made by the U.N. Command on orders from higher-level officers. 10The reason for King's border crossing is unclear. He was found guilty of assault in South Korea and could be discharged from the military and face other punishments. 11New York mission 12Miller said the U.S. maintains a number of channels to send messages to North Korea. 13One of those is North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York. That mission has provided a way to have negotiations between the countries. It serves as a substitute embassy because the U.S. and North Korea do not have embassies in the other's capital. 14The mission played an important part in negotiating details for the meetings between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019. At the start of their second meeting in Vietnam, both Kim and Trump said they supported the opening of a U.S. office in Pyongyang. But the idea was cancelled after negotiations broke down. 15Swedish Embassy 16Sweden does have relations with the North and an embassy in Pyongyang. It has offered consular services for U.S. citizens. That includes citizens who had been detained in North Korea on charges of illegally entering the country or spying. 17Miller said State Department officials have reached out to Sweden about King. 18But Sweden's diplomats based in Pyongyang have not returned to the North since leaving the country because of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. Still, experts say North Korea's Embassy in Sweden could be a place for communications. 19Other channels 20North and South Korea have a set of phone and fax lines of their own to set up meetings, plan border crossings and avoid accidental problems. But North Korea has not answered South Korean attempts to exchange messages using those methods since April. That was a time of high tensions over the North's nuclear program. 21Kim Yeol Soo is an expert at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs in South Korea. He said communication could happen through a hotline between the two Koreas' spy agencies. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that South Korea and the U.S. were in contact, without going into more details. 22Kim Yeol Soo said North Korea will not answer the U.S. until it completes its investigation of King. After that, he expects negotiations between the U.S. State Department and the North Korean Foreign Ministry. 23In the past, North Korea released U.S. civilian detainees after well-known Americans, including former presidents, travelled to Pyongyang to gain their freedoms. Kim said similar measures could be required in King's case. 24I'm Anna Matteo. 25Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press. 26_______________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28assault -n. (law) the crime of trying or threatening to physically attack someone else 29discharge -v. to end someone's service in the military 30channel - n. a system used for sending information to another group