Like myself, the South Korean government is probably not so much concerned about the fact bi-lateral talks have been agreed upon between the US and North Korea, this was inevitable, but rather what the US plans to agree to with North Korea:

South Korea’s top security ministers expressed strong concerns that Seoul may be sidelined in the process of disarming North Korea of nuclear weapons, as the United States and North Korea are set to open direct negotiations.

In unusually bold comments against the North, South Korea Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said on Friday that the prime target of Pyongyang’s nuclear bombs was South Korea, stressing that the country’s communist neighbor was attempting to dominate the South by force.

“North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons is targeted at the South, where freedom and democracy are upheld,” he told a forum of business leaders in Seoul.

“It is dangerous and naive to believe that North Korea’s nuclear weapons involve only the United States and to doubt that the North would ever use the weapons on the South,” Yu said. “It is North Korea’s goal to unify the country through communization and the nuclear weapons were developed for that purpose.” [UPI]

It is because of fears such as this that I continue to maintain that the bi-lateral talks should be held as an off shoot of six party talks and this may in fact be where we are heading:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said yesterday that he is willing to discuss his country’s nuclear arms program and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in multilateral and bilateral talks, China’s state media reported yesterday.

According to a report by Xinhua News Agency issued from Pyongyang, Kim told visiting Chinese presidential envoy Dai Bingguo about the North’s willingness to return to the nuclear talks. Kim was quoted as saying that his country “will continue adhering to the goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” and “is willing to resolve the relevant problems through bilateral and multilateral talks.”

The remarks by the leader of the reclusive communist state came amid intensifying global efforts to jump-start the stalled six-party nuclear talks, which involve the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

Washington has also showed a willingness to engage Pyongyang bilaterally, although it made clear that the contact will have to be made within the frameworkof the six-party nuclear negotiations.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

This will be a great move of the administration can pull it off to hold the bi-lateral talks only in conjunction with the six party process.  If this happens the administration needs to stand firm and not make concessions to the North Koreans for little to nothing in return like prior administrations.  This administration has the foresight of looking at the past mistakes of the last two administrations, they should be surely smart enough not to repeat them?

By the way Kim Jong-il is looking healthier then usual in that picture.