It would be "premature" to resume the stalled six-party denuclearization talks before North Korea admits its responsibility for its belligerent behavior and is made to pay a penalty, a former U.S. defense secretary said Thursday.
"I think there has to be some sort of concessions, some statement from North Korea," William Cohen said.
Engaging the communist state at this time would only be playing into Pyongyang's hands, he said, speaking at a local security forum hosted by South Korea's Unification Ministry.
Six-party discussions, involving the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, Japan and host China, opened in 2003 with the aim of stopping North Korea's nuclear development. They have been
on hold since December 2008 from Pyongyang's boycott over international sanctions imposed after its missile and nuclear tests.
The sinking of the Cheonan, which killed 46 South Korean sailors, chilled renewed momentum for the talks after a Seoul-led multinational probe blamed North Korea for a torpedo attack that led to the sinking. The North denies its responsibility and has accused investigators of fabricating their results.
South Korea maintains that North Korea must first apologize for the Cheonan sinking and take concrete steps toward denuclearization, including disabling key nuclear facilities and bringing back international monitors to its nuclear sites, before the talks can begin again.
"Issues have been raised, why should we pass up the opportunity for direct diplomacy? The answer for me is, direct bilateral negotiations would reward provocations," Cohen said.
The former secretary was referring to recent North Korean overtures for a "three-step" approach in restarting the six-party talks, in which Pyongyang would first hold a bilateral meeting with Washington, followed by informal discussions with other partners and then full-fledged talks.
North Korea's top leader, Kim Jong-il, was quoted as telling Chinese President Hu Jintao during their summit last month that he hoped for an early resumption of the six-way talks.
In recent weeks, top nuclear envoys have held consultations over such signals from Pyongyang. But Cohen said six-party members shouldn't be fooled by the North's charm offensive.
"Rather than accept the North Korean demands, the U.S. and our allies should insist North Korea pay some sort of penalty for its actions, including temporary reduction of economic alliances," he said.
The former secretary said North Korea can choose to rein in its aggressive behavior and be rewarded with normalized relations with Washington, but if Kim takes a different route, the North "will continue to suffer consequences."
Cohen served as defense secretary from 1997 to 2001.