[Editorial] After Kim Jong-il's death, stability on Korean Peninsula a priority

Posted on : 2011-12-20 10:42 KST Modified on : 2011-12-20 10:42 KST

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is dead. In the past, there had been rumors that he was gravely ill, but his sudden death comes as a shock after recent signs of his recovery. This development appears likely to have a major impact not only on North Korea but on the entire Korean Peninsula and its political surroundings. In announcing of Kim's death, Pyongyang attempted to dismiss any apprehensions about the stability of its regime by emphasizing the fact that successor Kim Jong-un was taking over, but at this stage it is impossible for anyone to say whether it will be able to keep events under control. We sincerely hope to see efforts to keep a stable situation on the peninsula and judicious measures to turn the crisis into an opportunity.
In some respects, the situation is worse than it was when Kim Il-sung died. The succession of Kim Jong-un, which was made official last year, has yet to take root as firmly as it did for Kim Jong-il, who was groomed for his position of power over a relatively long period. The country’s economic situation has fundamentally failed to improve, and there are even signs that the regime is losing its grip, as mass defections would seem to indicate.
The icy state of inter-Korean relations compared to 17 years ago has had a crucial effect on these desperate conditions. Ever since the Lee Myung-bak administration took office, relations with North Korea have deteriorated to the way things were before the two inter-Korean summit meetings took place. Nearly all contact has been severed between North and South since the Cheonan sinking and Yeonpyeong Island artillery attack last year, and tensions have only risen.
Now Seoul needs to seize the initiative in the changing political situation with a cool-headed response that takes into account the future of the entire Korean people. It needs to demonstrate the wisdom to turn this crisis into an opportunity.
The government has to reexamine its North Korean strategy to date, doing everything it can to open channels for dialogue with Pyongyang. If we cannot establish a solid relationship with North Korea, any sudden political upheavals there are likely to bring intervention from outside. Preventing this will require the South to take a leading role in restoring dialogue channels and, when necessary, to contribute to a stable regime transition in Pyongyang through strategic support. This is where the focus should lie in setting immediate policy priorities. The situation should be viewed as a chance to turn a bad situation into a positive one, restoring inter-Korean relations and then taking them to the next level. While keeping a close eye on trends in the North, we should refrain from any excessive use of military or police force, as well as any unnecessary words or actions that might provoke Pyongyang. We also need to give active consideration to expressing condolences for Kim's death. It is a situation that requires the wisdom to turn it into an opportunity for a thaw, taking as a ‘lesson from failure’ the controversy over the condolence issue that thrust inter-Korean relations into a deep freeze 17 years ago. This is also an opportunity to revive the spirit of the June 15 Joint Declaration and October 4 Peace Declaration, both of which have been ignored.
We must not tolerate the risky adventurism of certain conservative and right-wing quarters who wish to exploit this opportunity to further unsettle Pyongyang and trigger a collapse and subsequent unification by absorption. It goes without saying that we should dismiss this kind of short-sightedness, which has the potential to turn the North Korean crisis into one affecting all of the Korean Peninsula.

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

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