The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Tuesday that it was ready to join the Six-Party Talks unconditionally and was not averse to discussing even the contentious subject of uranium enrichment. This is certainly a positive step toward resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

But that does not mean the Six-Party Talks will resume immediately, because the Republic of Korea (ROK) wants the DPRK to apologize for the exchange of fire on Yeonpyeong Island in November last year and promise not to take similar actions in the future. The United States, on the other hand, insists that it will join the talks only after the ROK and the DPRK hold bilateral dialogue.

To resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, it is thus important to first figure out the crux of the matter. Pyongyang, for instance, has been arguing that the nuclear issue is an offshoot of Washington's hostile policy. This suggests the issue can be resolved only if the US abandons its hostile policy toward the DPRK. But then it seems the DPRK wants to use the nuclear issue to win the recognition of the US, which would pave the way for its integration into the international community.

The US believes that the Peninsula issue is part of the nuclear proliferation and regional security problem. The US fears that if it holds direct talks with the DPRK, it will lose the trust of ROK and Japan.

Besides, Washington believes that it alone should not bear the responsibility of resolving the issue. It wants to "play the host" and let the other countries foot the bill.

The Barack Obama administration's policy of strategic restraint toward the DPRK suggests that the US has no effective tactic to resolve the Peninsula nuclear issue. It does not want to risk the unpredictable consequences of holding direct talks with its long-time foe. And not surprisingly, it prefers blaming the DPRK for the impasse.

Thus, it can be said that the US and the DPRK are caught in the prisoner's dilemma, and both want to use the Six-Party Talks merely as a bargaining chip - as a means to securing their own initiatives at negotiations.

The US and the DPRK differ greatly when it comes to their priority to resolving the nuclear issue. Washington wants Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons' programs and ensure that the process is verifiable and irreversible before discussing any peace agreement.

But the DPRK insists that a peace agreement on the Korean Peninsula should precede the abandoning of its nuclear weapons' program. It says that a peace agreement is the biggest prerequisite for true denuclearization of the Peninsula and the US has no reason to disregard its suggestion.

Pyongyang's claim has substance and Washington has no reason to challenge it, because the US has repeatedly said that it has no intention of attacking the DPRK and is willing to establish a peace mechanism on the Peninsula.