hankyoreh

It is expected that the North Korean nuclear issue will soon be resolved. Earlier this week in Singapore, chief negotiators from Pyongyang and Washington temporarily agreed to have the North submit its declaration of its nuclear programs in two separate documents, an official declaration to be made public and an unofficial one that will remain confidential, and are waiting for further instruction from their governments. There are some remaining issues that will need to be tied up, but fortunately the two nations have taken the first step toward the resolution of the problem and establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea has played a significant role in breaking the nuclear impasse between the North and the United States in the past, but has played the role of bystander this time around.

Resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue could breathe new life into inter-Korean relations, which have suffered serious strain since President Lee Myung-bak took office, and clear away the obstacle created by President Lee’s policy of linking progress on the nuclear issue with inter-Korean economic cooperation. If the South is able to deal with the situation wisely, the freeze in inter-Korean relations could thaw; but if the South misses this opportunity, the tension between North and South could become protracted and it will be difficult to resolve the political insecurities surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, if this were to result in the North’s discontinuing its negotiations with the South altogether, the South could become diplomatically isolated from the main players in the six-party process: the North, the United States and China.

The South should take an active position in the new situation for the improvement of inter-Korean relations and the settlement of a peace regime on the peninsula. First of all, it is desirable for Seoul to be proactive and provide unconditional assistance on a humanitarian level, instead of taking the passive position that the offer of aid will only come after a request from the North. Regarding the expansion of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, the South also needs to review the matter from the broad perspective of constructing the Korean economy, rather than maintaining that it will work on the economy only after the nuclear issue is resolved.

More fundamentally, the South should stop placing inter-Korean relations below the ROK-U.S. alliance. Even if Seoul strengthens its partnership with Washington, there can be no peace regime for the peninsula unless there is a relaxation of the hostility and distrust between the two Koreas. The South Korean officials in charge of foreign affairs and security should be careful with their words and deeds so as not to unnecessarily provoke the North, as happened when the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff alluded to the possibility of a preemptive strike against the North’s nuclear facilities. President Lee should review his policies, which essentially run counter to inter-Korean agreements reached by the previous administrations of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.

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