hankyoreh

A few days ago in France, U.S President Barack Obama said, “North Korea’s actions over the last several months have been extraordinarily provocative.” He made it clear that he plans to change the keynote of the nation’s North Korea policy by saying, “We are not intending to continue a policy of rewarding provocation.” He explained that while he himself still prefers a diplomatic approach, North Korea has not shown the serious effort a diplomatic resolution requires.

The disappointment of the U.S. is understandable given the series of provocations that North Korea has engaged in since Obama took office, from its rocket launch to its second nuclear test and even preparations to launch an long-range missile. Although the Obama administration, unlike the previous George W. Bush administration, has sought to resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue, North Korea has continued to ratchet up tensions. Recently, it even announced that it would no longer be bound by the 1953 Armistice Agreement that has existed between South Korea and North Korea for the past 56 years, citing the South Korean government’s participation in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) on weapons of mass destruction as the primary reason. North Korea’s provocations have done great harm to the stability of the Korean Peninsula and East Asia and should rightly be criticized. It also stands to reason that the international community denounces these actions and seeks an appropriate course of response.

Yet one cannot help expressing concerns about President Obama’s pronouncements. The turn away from its dialogue-centered approach towards increasing confrontation will have damages that will fall squarely on South Korea. The likelihood of this has increased as tensions have already built up in the West Sea, and there is talk about the possibility of localized clashes. This has become all the more worrisome as the Lee Myung-bak administration, faced with a political crisis in the wake of the sudden passing of former President Roh Moo-hyun, has been showing signs of moving towards using inter-Korean tensions as a means of getting through this crisis.

While many analysts are saying that the recent string of provocations coming out of North Korea smacks strongly of having emerged from an internal need to build a system of succession, some elements can also be attributed to both the U.S’s and South Korea’s North Korean policies. Since President Lee took office, he has provoked North Korea with various measures, including his refusal to recognize the June 15 and October 4 joint statements between South Korea and North Korea. The U.S., for its part, has emphasized a policy of “benign neglect” in lieu of sincere discussions with North Korea. North Korea returned to the U.S. list of overseas policy priorities only after it conducted a nuclear test.

It would be rash to abandon dialogue without having first made any proper gestures. It is also wrong to view dialogue in itself as a reward. The North Korean nuclear issue can only be resolved when the international community makes North Korea abandon its drive to acquire nuclear capabilities by fundamentally resolving the uncertainty related to its system, and brings it fully into the international society fold. This is only possible through dialogue, not force.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]