On Again

Update 7/25: Off again.

How do you say “stall” in Korean? The North Koreans now say they’re returning to the six-party talks. Let’s hope the Bush Administration doesn’t call off Stuart Levy. I suspect his variety of communication has been much more effective than Nicholas Burns’s.

Odd, isn’t it, that all of that alleged Chinese pressure and dearly purchased South Korean influence couldn’t bring them back to the table for so many months? Yet when a U.S. Treasury official flies into the region to take a closer look at their banking arrangements, they crawl right back. My advice to Korea watchers: follow the money, not the talks.

Meanwhile, the head of Japan’s National Police Agency is accusing the North Korean government of shipping crystal meth into its waters, and details how they did it (via Japundit). The allegation stems from the incident I originally noted here.