In this July 4, 2017 file photo, distributed by the North Korean government shows what was said to be the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile in North Korea. North Korea fired a ballistic missile Friday night, July 28, which landed in the ocean off Japan, Japanese officials said. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
The Philippines will not isolate North Korea in a regional security forum in Manila on Monday, but the North will face a diplomatic barrage over its nuclear weapons program, with the United States seeking to build a “chorus of condemnation” of Pyongyang’s provocative behavior.
The Philippines, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) this year, is playing host to meetings of the bloc this week and next, with the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) on Aug. 7 grouping the United States and North Korea with 25 other countries.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho will attend the ARF.
Blistering critique
The United States has sought talks on how North Korea can be suspended from the security forum, while the Philippines’ President Duterte has set the stage for the security talks with a blistering critique of the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un.
“He is playing with dangerous toys and this crazy man, do not be fooled by his face, that chubby face that looks nice,” Mr. Duterte said in a talk with reporters on Wednesday, warning that Kim could trigger a nuclear war that would destroy Asia.
“That son of a bitch maniac, if he makes a mistake then the Far East will become an arid land,” Mr. Duterte said.
Despite the US effort and Mr. Duterte’s cutting remarks, the Philippines will not exclude North Korea from the talks.
North Korea’s nuclear ambitions will be high on the ARF’s agenda, Robespierre Bolivar, the spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), told reporters on Thursday.
Bolivar said the forum was looking forward to a candid discussion with Ri on the North’s nuclear weapons program and missile tests.
Face-to-face discussion
“[The ARF] is the only venue thus far that we have to promote candid and free-flow dialogue and to actually express our concerns to the DPRK side in a face-to-face manner,” Bolivar said, referring to the North by the initials for its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“All of us [in the] region are very much concerned about the potential for escalation of this issue. Hopefully, aside from expressions of concern, there might be opportunity during that dialogue to try to find some sort of ground for proceeding to more productive dialogue,” he added.
Bolivar said Mr. Duterte’s remarks on Wednesday reflected the Philippines’ concern over North Korea’s missile tests.
“[There are] at least 50,000 Filipinos in South Korea. [Geographically], we are very close to the Korean Peninsula. In fact, when [the] DPRK makes ballistic missile tests, we are concerned because it may affect the safety of overflight in the Philippine area of responsibility. So definitely it is a very serious concern of the Philippines and I think that is where the President is coming from,” Bolivar said.
The United States and China have been wrestling with how best to respond to North Korea’s second intercontinental ballistic missile test last week, which deepened global fears over Kim’s nuclear weapons strike capabilities.
Chorus of condemnation
Tillerson will seek to build diplomatic pressure on the North in Manila, with Washington pushing for another round of tough United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang, according to his top aides.
“What we would expect to see this year at the [ARF] would be a general chorus of condemnation of North Korea’s provocative behavior,” US Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton said on Wednesday. —WITH REPORTS FROM THE WIRES