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After North Korea suggested holding a joint investigation into the small drones that crashed in South Korea on Apr. 14, the Blue House immediately rejected the offer. The Blue House is set on not being suckered by what it sees as propaganda against the South. But the government needs to think about the situation a little more seriously. If both North and South Korea take part in an investigation into the affair, it could bring them closer to the truth of the case, and the interaction between the investigators could provide a chance to break through the deadlock in inter-Korean relations, which have been going from bad to worse. North Korea’s proposal is not something that should be summarily dismissed.

There is a good chance that North Korea’s offer for a joint investigation is in fact psychological warfare, as the South Korean government believes. But when we consider the format and the content of the proposal, it does seem to have some weight. On Apr. 14, North Korean state institutions made two strong responses to the results of the South Korean government’s investigation into the drones. It is particularly noteworthy that the National Defense Commission, North Korea’s most powerful body, offered a direct rebuttal of the investigation report and proposed a joint investigation.

In addition, North Korea suggested having Blue House Security Chief Kim Jang-soo serve as the South Korean representative for the joint investigation. “If South Korea wants to eliminate the obstacles to improving inter-Korean relations,” the North said, “it should have Kim attend an official meeting and confidently work to resolve these problems.” The fact that the North made a specific recommendation for the South Korean representative in the joint investigation makes it difficult to view the North’s proposal as mere propaganda. And yet, the Blue House swiftly dismissed the offer, saying that someone suspected of committing a crime is not allowed to handle the evidence in the investigation of that crime. This can hardly be seen as a wise response.

Indeed, if no definitive evidence emerges proving that North Korea was behind the drones, it is very likely that the case will remain unsolved, leaving nothing but unproven suspicions. During the interim report on the drone investigation on Apr. 11, the Ministry of Defense only offered circumstantial evidence, failing to provide any direct evidence of North Korea’s involvement. The Defense Ministry said that it had been unable to decode the GPS on the drones out of fears that the return coordinates would be damaged. If the Ministry does manage to decipher the GPS, this could provide definitive evidence that would help crack the case. If North Korea takes part in the joint investigation and assists with deciphering the GPS, the case could be wrapped up smoothly.

Beyond this, if the joint investigation of the drone affair is used as an opportunity to increase contact between North and South Korea, it could in itself help to thaw inter-Korean relations and open the door for dialogue. North Korea also offered to hold a joint investigation with South Korea after the sinking of the Cheonan warship in 2010. If the South had brought North Korea into the investigation instead of rejecting this offer, it might have been able to avoid the incredibly wasteful conflict, both between North and South Korea and inside South Korea, that followed. Even the most adverse conditions can be changed into auspicious circumstances if one responds to them in the right way. Even now, the South Korean government ought to give careful thought to North Korea’s offer to hold a joint investigation of the drone affair.

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