hankyoreh

October 2008. (Photo pool)

Son Won-je, Staff Writer　

North Korea proposed high-ranking military talks with South Korea on Thursday to discuss the Cheonan sinking and Yeonpyeong Island shelling. In particular, North Korea said it wanted to express its opinion about the Cheonan sinking and the Yeonpyeong Island shelling and discuss reducing the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In response, Seoul said it would attend high-ranking military talks that set as an agenda North Korea committing to take responsible measures regarding the sinking of the Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island and preventing further provocations.

North Korea’s proposal came just after the United States and China stressed improving inter-Korean relations and restarting sincere dialogue between North Korea and South Korea during the U.S.-China summit in Washington on Wednesday (local time).

The climate on the Korean Peninsula, which experienced a political ice age due to the sinking of the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island shelling, is rapidly switching to a phase of dialogue between the North Korean and South Korean authorities. The administration has decided to accept North Korea’s proposal for defense minister talks and preparatory working-level military talks, and in addition has proposed to North Korea separate high-ranking government talks to discuss the nuclear issue.

The idea is that at the defense minister talks, pending military issues, including the Cheonan sinking and the Yeonpyeong Island shelling, will be on the table, while at the high-ranking government talks, the nuclear issue and all major pending issues between the two Koreas stressed by the South Korean government will be on the dialogue table.

The Lee administration’s decision to accept North Korea’s proposal is believed to be due to the international atmosphere urging a resumption of inter-Korean dialogue created by the U.S.-China summit, and by North Korea’s more conducive response to South Korean demands to show sincerity, a South Korean precondition for talks.

In particular, North Korea said the defense minister talks would be held to express opinions regarding the Cheonan sinking and Yeonpyeong Island shelling and to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It was an expression that North Korea had virtually accepted all of South Korea preconditions for talks, including the level, format and agenda.

This is believed to be because for North Korea, which hopes to resume six-party talks, restarting inter-Korean dialogue, which has been cited as a precondition to six-party talks, was most urgent.

The Lee administration had turned down the six previous proposals for dialogue made by North Korea this year, citing a lack of sincerity. Instead, it had made a counterproposal through a statement by the Unification Ministry spokesperson on Jan. 10, in which Seoul called for talks between North Korea and South Korean authorities to confirm North Korea’s sincerity regarding the sinking of the Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island and denuclearization.

The situation changed, however, when North Korea made a sudden proposal for talks with the leaders of the two superpowers that control the situation on the Korean Peninsula advising an improvement in inter-Korean relations and dialogue. It appears the decision to accept a restart of talks was due to concern that if Seoul continued to refuse talks themselves by citing a lack of sincerity, it would be blamed for the blockage in inter-Korean relations and international isolated.

It is difficult to predict, however, whether talks, even if they do begin, will continue until a concrete agreement is produced to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula and improve inter-Korean ties. Depending on the progress of preparatory talks and whether the high-ranking talks on denuclearization proposed by South Korea come to pass, this phase of dialogue, produced with much difficulty, could become a maelstrom. In particular, given that North Korea has claimed that it had nothing to do with the sinking of the Cheonan, even if talks are held, it is possible that the two sides will merely fight over the cause of the sinking.

Sogang University Political Science Professor Kim Yeong-soo said, “It appears the administration was worried that if it refused North Korea’s offer for talks, Pyongyang would pass the blame for the blockage in inter-Korean relations onto South Korea.” Kim predicted, “During the talks, too, both sides wil engage in a tense struggle of wills to seize the initiative.”

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