hankyoreh

The South Korean government accepted a proposal on July 7 for a North Korean cheering squad at the upcoming Asian Games in Incheon. It’s a far cry from fielding an inter-Korean team or joint cheering section, but it is significant as a step toward thawing the chill between South and North right now. Hopefully, the government will take this opportunity to make some proactive efforts toward improving ties.

Pyongyang may be waging a “peace offensive” lately, but little has changed in its overall attitude. A “statement from the government of the republic” released the same day featured the same insistence on a two-track program of nuclear and economic development and calls for a halt to South Korea’s joint military exercises with the US. The statement’s format was a bit unusual, to be sure, but in terms of content it simply picked up where its National Defense Commission special proposal of June 30 left off. In short, it sees North Korea’s future course as set it stone, and attempts to pin blame on the South for various problems - all in an effort to break Seoul down and get it to play along. If Pyongyang really has any hopes of improving relations, this sort of attitude has got to go.

That said, it isn’t wise for Seoul to respond in the same way. The South Korean government fired back the same day that instead of repeating the same irrational arguments, the North should hurry up and sit down for dialogue. But it’s not exactly clear that Seoul has worked very hard to set that particular table. Indeed, it’s difficult to see much of an effort to resume dialogue when the South has consistently maintained that the North would first have to admit its errors before anything could happen. If the goal is to put a stop to the psychological warfare and bridge the difference between the two sides, then Seoul needs to take the first step. One good idea may be to propose resuming the senior-level talks that were halted after two rounds this past February.

The recent situation in East Asia only underscores the need to improve ties with North Korea. Caught in the crossfire of an intensifying conflict between the US and Japan on one side and China on the other, South Korea finds itself with less and less room to maneuver. The progress that Pyongyang and Tokyo have made with their negotiations is taking away Seoul’s say in matters that affect the peninsula. We’re even seeing the single biggest issue affecting us - North Korea’s nuclear program - getting moved to the back burner. All of this stands to get even worse if we don’t do something to ease frictions with the North. Conversely, progress in improving inter-Korean relations might give us the energy we need to focus on other peninsula-related matters.

Past experience shows that progress in issues affecting the peninsula tend to move in the same direction as the state of relations with Pyongyang. If we want things to turn around, what we need most are a firm commitment and creative effort from the South Korean government. It’s easy to criticize the North, but it doesn’t fix anything. Other countries aren’t opposed to inter-Korean ties improving. It’s a moment that desperately calls for a new approach out of Seoul.

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