According to a recent revelation by the former South Korean Vice Minister for Unification, Jeong, Se-hyun, Seoul was initially willing to talk about the North Korean request for energy-supply, but was then held back: "Negotiations have been suspended because of the US request to that effect," he writes. This account throws a light on Seoul's lack of political independence and is confirmed by US expert Selig Harrison: "At present, the US is not even letting South Korea give Pyongyang desperately needed energy assistance that Seoul had promised. This is the principal reason for Kim Jong-il's delay in visiting the South."
Ronald Meinardus is the Resident Representative of the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation in Seoul and a commentator on Korean affairs.
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