Andrei Lankov Believes “Freeze Deal” is Least Bad Option in North Korea Nuclear Negotiations
It appears Andrei Lankov got himself out of a Latvian jail because he is quoted in the media supporting President Lee’s idea for a freeze deal with North Korea:
Lee’s proposal reflects the reality that persuading Pyongyang to surrender its nuclear arsenal is increasingly unlikely, said Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul who specializes in North Korean affairs. “North Koreans have always been determined to remain nuclear,” he told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday. “Their experience of decades of negotiations has demonstrated that no amount of pressure, no amount of compensation or reward will persuade them to surrender their nuclear weapons.”
The “least bad option,” Lankov said, is to accept that North Korea is unlikely to denuclearize and “try to freeze the situation in its current shape.” Lankov cautioned, however, that securing such an agreement would be difficult. “North Koreans are likely to demand a lot in exchange for the agreement to freeze their program,” he said. North Korea’s improving economy and support from China and Russia mean Pyongyang would probably demand significantly more in exchange for concessions than it did during negotiations with Washington seven years ago, Lankov said.
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