March 19, 2024
Analysis

At Moscow conference, slim progress on North Korea’s “window of opportunity”

Moscow's hopes of creating a forum for multilateral dialogue on DPRK issues may have been stalled, at least for now
Author's note: the assertion that Sergei Lavrov announced Russia would work with the P5+1 is based on the original Russian-language transcript published by the Russian Federation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), as well as based on an article published by the major Russian newspaper Izvestiya. The term used, which translates literally as "sextet", is generally applied in Russian discourse to the P5+1, not the Six Party Talks. The official English translation published by the MFA, however, rendered Sergei Lavrov's comments as referring to "the six-party talks" [sic]. Any inaccuracy, for which the author bears sole responsibility, is due to an unusual use of terminology in the Russian original. 

Nuclear security wonks the world over set their gaze to the Russian capital toward the end of last week for the Moscow Nonproliferation Conference. Representing the United States was Special Representative for North Korean affairs Mark Lambert, who held a brief chat with Jo Chol Su, the recently-appointed head of the DPRK foreign ministry's North America department. 

Become a member for less than $4 per week.

  • Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis
  • The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop
  • Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns
  • Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting
Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts.
Subscribe now

All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time.