I have recently returned from an early September meeting in Qingdao, China, convened by the University of California as one of a series of unofficial discussions of matters of current interest and concern. The Chinese graciously hosted delegations from the U.S., Russia, North and South Korea and Japan. All delegations had both government officials and private citizens as members. Four North Koreans were in attendance, and actively participated.

This unofficial six-party meeting was designed as a reprise of the official six-party talks held in Beijing in late August that were focused on the matter of North Korea's development of nuclear weapons. China deserves huge credit for bringing about the August meeting, and getting the North Koreans to participate.

The Qingdao discussions included people who had attended the Beijing talks, from China, Russia, and South Korea. The same ground was covered, and the same attitudes were revealed. The Chinese, Russians and South Koreans formed the core of the discussions, as they were largely in agreement on all major issues. The North Koreans, Japanese and Americans were all isolated to varying degrees: the North Koreans by their nuclear weapons programs, which all five other countries oppose; the Japanese by a variety of historical issues which they refuse to deal with adequately, such as the comfort women, Prime Ministerial visits to Yasukuni Shrine, and a continuing general unwillingness to fully acknowledge the horrors they inflicted on China during World War II; and the United States by its cold and still confrontational posture toward North Korea, which was not supported by any of the other participating countries. China was the dominant presence at the Qingdao meeting, and its influence in Northeast Asia, both economic and political, is rising rapidly.

The issues growing out of these talks will be reflected in The Korea Society programs, and in articles that will appear on this web-site. I urge your continued interest and participation.

Sincerely,

Donald P. Gregg
President and Chairman of the Board