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🇰🇷 South Korea /Energy & Infrastructure

North Korean negotiator tears up Stalin-Kim Il Sung photo in dramatic nuclear talks

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Documents & data Outcome reported
  • A 1992 inter-Korean meeting saw a North Korean negotiator tear up a photo of Stalin and Kim Il Sung in response to South Korea's accusations of relying on foreign powers.
  • The incident occurred during talks on nuclear control, where South Korea questioned North Korea's commitment to denuclearization and North Korea demanded the cancellation of joint US-South Korea military exercises.
  • The talks ultimately failed, leading to North Korea's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a halt in inter-Korean dialogue.

A dramatic confrontation unfolded during a 1992 inter-Korean nuclear control meeting when North Korea's chief negotiator tore up a photograph of Stalin and Kim Il Sung. The incident, revealed in recently declassified documents, occurred after South Korea's representative, Gong Ro-myung, presented the photo to counter North Korea's accusations of South Korea's reliance on foreign powers.

Who is dependent on foreign powers? I brought a photo.

— Gong Ro-myungSouth Korean chief negotiator Gong Ro-myung presenting a photo of Stalin and Kim Il Sung during a 1992 inter-Korean nuclear control meeting.

Gong's move was a retort to North Korea's demand that South Korea cancel the annual Team Spirit joint military exercises with the United States. By presenting the photo, Gong implicitly questioned North Korea's own historical ties to foreign powers, specifically the Soviet Union's role in the Korean War. The North Korean negotiator, Choi Woo-jin, reacted with outrage, tearing the photo and exclaiming that South Korea was "provoking" them.

Why are you tearing up the picture of the great leader!

— Gong Ro-myungSouth Korean chief negotiator Gong Ro-myung reacting to the North Korean negotiator tearing up the photo.

The heated exchange derailed the talks, with both sides failing to bridge their differences on nuclear inspections and military exercises. North Korea insisted on the withdrawal of US forces and nuclear weapons from the South, while South Korea demanded unfettered access to North Korean nuclear facilities. The failure of these talks marked a significant setback in inter-Korean relations and contributed to North Korea's subsequent withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1993.

You are provoking us today.

— Choi Woo-jinNorth Korean negotiator Choi Woo-jin's angry response after tearing up the photo.

Further declassified documents highlight the intense and often acrimonious nature of the negotiations. In one instance, a South Korean official reportedly called a North Korean counterpart a "nobody" for not knowing about the Yongbyon nuclear facility, leading to demands for an apology. Another incident involved a North Korean official slamming the table and accusing a South Korean delegate of "violent behavior" during a discussion on inspection protocols. These exchanges underscore the deep mistrust and animosity that plagued inter-Korean dialogue during this critical period.

You don't even know about the Yongbyon (nuclear facility), you nobody!

— Im Dong-wonSouth Korean Vice Minister of Unification Im Dong-won's reported remark to a North Korean negotiator.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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