The voice of the North Korea talks

Periodically since 2005, dozens of foreign reporters have spent far too many evenings gathered in hotel lobbies waiting patiently for the man who has virtually become the voice of talks on North Korea.

The man is Christopher Hill, a U.S. assistant secretary of State, who seems to spend half his life flying between Washington D.C. and various capitals of the Orient.

If it weren’t for Hill, I daresay the world would not have many details of how the talks are going on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program. The host country for the six-nation talks, China, says almost nothing, and North Korea is also usually mum. The Russians don’t say much. The Japanese and South Korean envoys talk – but usually off the record to their own reporters.

Not Hill. When he’s in town, he talks morning and night to a whole gaggle of journalists, patiently fielding questions on the minutiae of highly enriched uranium, the mood of the talks, who he’s meeting with day by day, what’s being discussed, and whether progress is occurring. Occasionally, Hill throws in a remark or two about his beloved Boston Red Sox.

Hill has become a celebrity of sorts because he talks so much. Click here for a profile that a Japanese reporter for the Associated Press did of him earlier this year.

I joined a crowd of some 40 or 50 journalists a few minutes ago to listen to what Hill had to say in his latest sojourn to Beijing. I asked my daughter, Michelle Oliver, to snap photos while I listened in. We got to the hotel lobby a little late, and the crowd was big, so I couldn’t hear very well.

As usual, Hill took questions from all over: British, Japanese, South Korean, American and other journalists all chimed in.

Unlike many senior officials from the U.S. – or anywhere else, for that matter – Hill gives intelligent answers to questions that are repetitive or in broken English.

Occasionally, he looks weary, gibing reporters who press on particular points, clearly looking for news for the next day’s paper.

Tonight was no exception. When a colleague from Japan’s Kyodo News asked a repetitive question, Hill said: “I can see you’re writing an article and you’re looking for ready-made quotes to fit your article.”

Hill returned earlier this week from Pyongyang, and reporters wanted to know how things went with the North Koreans. Over the years, Hill has gotten increasingly reserved about the details of his talks, not wanting to give away negotiating positions, and tonight he was cagey.

“The atmosphere was positive. But yes indeed, there are some differences,” he said.

“Not so big differences?” one reporter asked.

“Well, again, I just told you I don’t want to characterize those differences.”

All is generally in good humor, even when Hill doesn’t have much he wants to say. He announced he’d be passing through the lobby again at 8:40 a.m. – joking that we should show up at 8:41 a.m. As he walked away, he bantered about American football.

A few minutes later, my mobile vibrates with a message from the U.S. Embassy. It says, “A/S Hill expected to walk thru Kerry Ctr. Hotel lobby @ 8:30-8:45 am Thurs.”

Rain or shine, Hill is always there to talk. And usually a couple of dozen reporters are there to ask him questions.

Comments

[Deng]

Did you hear there was a Christopher Hill text message (the ones the embassy sends to announce his events) contest on another blog?

See this:

http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/1658/nuts-and-bolts-of-dprk-denuclearization

The entries:

A/S Hill expected to sacrifice vestal virgin @ St Regis @ midnight.

Hill Hotel Hors d’hacks; A/S out of RS; Pressure on for alt presser

A/S Hill expected to order spring roll @ Fan Hay Yuk’s House of Asia after first course.

420 pty NSA Meet @7 Regis BJ w Hill

CHill 2 talk a/b NORKz d-nukin rly soon – b thr

[sun bin]

ohh he moved. the st regis is now under renovation. :)