BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A recent string of remarks and overtures from countries involved in Korean Peninsula denuclearization negotiations have rekindled hope that the long-stalled six-party talks might resume soon.

Yet the track record of the sexpartite process and the existence of profound differences between certain participating countries mean that hard comprises will be needed to prevent the glimmer of hope from flickering out.

SIX-PARTY TALKS

Launched in 2003, the six-party talks mechanism, which involves China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), aims to negotiate a solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

During the first round of talks, the six countries established the principle of seeking to work out a peaceful settlement through dialogue. Then the process proceeded on and off for six years, punctuated with visible progress and frustrating setbacks.

On Sept. 19, 2005, the six parties wrapped up their fourth round of talks with a joint statement that is widely considered as the most important agreement ever achieved so far in the stop-and-go undertaking.

The document affirmed the goal of verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. The DPRK committed itself to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs but insisted on its right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The United States affirmed that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons. South Korea reaffirmed its commitment not to receive or deploy nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and affirmed that there existed no nuclear weapons within its territory.

The six parties also agreed to take coordinated steps to implement the consensus in a phased manner in line with the principle of "commitment for commitment, action for action."

In April 2009, the DPRK carried out a rocket launch. In the wake of a UN Security Council presidential statement condemning its rocket launch, Pyongyang pulled out of the six-party talks, leaving the process bogged down ever since.

Amid rounds of crippling sanctions and repeated U.S.-South Korea joint military drills, the DPRK has so far conducted three nuclear tests, respectively in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

Despite the precarious character of the sexpartite framework, the six-party talks remain the most viable platform to achieve peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and realize lasting stability in Northeast Asia.

WHERE DO THE PARTIES STAND NOW?

DPRK

During DPRK senior official Choe Ryong Hae's visit to Russia last month as special envoy of top leader Kim Jong Un, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow has received assurances from Pyongyang that it is ready to resume the six-party talks without preconditions on the basis of the Sept. 19, 2005, joint statement.

The stance was in accord with the message Pyongyang's ambassador to the UN office in Geneva, So Se Pyong, delivered in early October, when he said his country was not planning a nuclear or missile test and was ready for a new round of the stalled sexpartite negotiations.

UNITED STATES

In a visit to South Korea earlier this month, Washington's new special representative for DPRK policy, Sung Kim, said "it will be a mistake" to rush back to the six-party talks before Pyongyang shows a serious attitude "toward a complete and verifiable denuclearization."

He reiterated his country's attitude that the DPRK needs to "demonstrate their serious commitment to denuclearization before we can resume any negotiations."

SOUTH KOREA

Seoul's stance is similar to Washington's. In a visit to Moscow after Choe's Russia trip, South Korea's top nuclear negotiator, Hwang Joon-kook, said his country is willing to reopen the talks if Pyongyang sends a clear sign that it is willing to engage in "constructive dialogue" on denuclearization.

Yet he added that although certain conditions need to be met for the six-party talks to get back on track, it does not mean that the process can start again only if all such specific steps are taken.

JAPAN

Tokyo agrees with the United States and South Korea that the DPRK needs to take certain actions before the six parties should return to the negotiating table.

RUSSIA

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Russian Foreign Ministry special envoy Grigory Logvinov said that "serious chances" have emerged to kick-start the six-party talks again given Choe's visit to Russia.

Yet he cautioned that the denuclearization process requires "long, thorough and patient work," and stressed that relevant parties should not set knowingly unreachable goals or "force someone to move faster than it is possible in the given circumstances."

CHINA

Beijing, which initiated the six-party talks, maintains that all parties concerned should work together to create favorable conditions for an early resumption of the long-stalled process.

Commenting on the signal the DPRK sent out during Choe's Russia visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei urged all parties involved to "make joint efforts and act with wisdom" to bring the sexpartite process back on track.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Beijing on Nov. 10, he urged all parties involved to show sincerity and flexibility, restart the six-party talks, and find as soon as possible a solution that is practical, effective and acceptable for all.