hankyoreh

The day before yesterday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) confirmed a plan for sanctions against North Korea in connection with its second nuclear test. The UNSC's decision, which serves as the core element of multilateral sanctions, is essentially settled 34 days after the adoption of a resolution. Now is the time to come up with a basic solution for the nuclear problem that goes beyond sanctions.

These UNSC sanctions target five North Korean individuals, five companies and institutions, and two types of goods, including high-tech materials. This represents a considerably smaller range of targets from those initially presented by the U.S. and other Western countries, but it does appear likely to apply some pressure on North Korea, as the decision was adopted unanimously with China and Russia also voting in favor. This is the first time sanctions, including travel restrictions, have been applied against North Korean individuals. North Korean society is already isolated from the international community, the possibility that these sanctions will deal a decisive blow is slim.

North Korea has shown no change in its stance of refusing to acknowledge the UNSC resolution. Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the second most powerful person in North Korea, said at a Non-Aligned Movement summit a few days ago that "the six-party talks are over for good." This statement reiterated the policy of absolute refusal to participate in the six-party talks announced back in April by North Korean authorities. This kind of stance from North Korea is helpful to no one, even North Korea itself, as it deepens the country's international isolation. One hopes these sanctions help North Korea realize how the international community is taking its unilateral actions. It goes without saying that North Korea must refrain from measures that make the situation worse.

Still, this does not mean that the current situation is simply going the way of haphazard confrontation. North Korea-U.S. contacts are being achieved through New York channels, and the U.S. has presented its analysis that North Korea seems to be searching for a way back to the negotiation table. The U.S. has begun discussions with related countries to find a solution to the nuclear issue. For instance, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell is heading to South Korea today for the first time since his confirmation by Congress. In addition, a few days ago, Wu Dawei, China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, toured the nations participating in the six-party talks and made efforts to clear the way for the talks' resumption.

As Campbell has stated, the most effective means of denuclearizing North Korea is through diplomacy, and pressure alone is not enough to bring the country back into negotiations. For this reason, even if sanctions must inevitably be maintained for a certain period of time, they must be preceded by efforts to devise an effective framework for discussions and a comprehensive solution. At times such as these, the position of the South Korean government is all the more important. If, as it is doing now, it focuses on the role of spearheading pressure against North Korea, it will not only go against the greater flow, but will also lead to the further deterioration of inter-Korean relations. At this point, the administration's position is in urgent need of change.

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