By Yi Whan-woo
The incoming South Korean government is expected to be in sync with President Donald Trump's administration over policies on North Korea, given that the latter is surprisingly open to dialogue with Pyongyang, according to analysts, Thursday.
Dampening talk of military action against the North, the U.S. suggested "tightening economic sanctions and pursuing diplomatic measures" against the reclusive regime in a statement issued Wednesday.
Summarizing a White Housing briefing before Congress, the statement also suggested that the Trump administration remains "open to negotiations" regarding the Kim Jong-un regime's denuclearization, while being fully prepared for self-defense.
Jointly issued by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, the statement finalizes the Trump government's doctrine on Pyongyang.
"This is believed to be in line with the two leading presidential candidates' North Korea policies," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University.
The two candidates — Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo — have called for a two-track strategy of maintaining sanctions on while simultaneously resuming dialogue with North Korea.
But Kim Yong-hyun said: "Now, it can be said that a candidate who aggressively seeks dialogue with Pyongyang will be in sync with Washington's diplomatic stance on the North."
Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, echoed the view, although he thinks that Washington will prefer sanctions over dialogue for the time being.
"If the U.S. policy on North Korea shifts to dialogue, there will be far less-than-expected clashes between Washington and the new liberal South Korean government that seeks peaceful inter-Korean relations," he said.
Although they did not rule out the possibility of a U.S. pre-emptive attack on the North, the experts said the much-touted military options will be "off the table" for a while.
They speculated that the U.S. decision is attributed to North Korea "refraining" from carrying out its sixth nuclear test recently.
Many observers predicted that Pyongyang would carry out the test on the occasion of one of its two major holidays this month — the 105th anniversary of the birth of its late founding father Kim Il-sung or the 85th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People's Army.
"The U.S. has been pressing North Korea in a comprehensive manner. It will still do so, but will also leave room for talks," Kim Yong-hyun said.
Citing that it has been not customary for the heads of the state and defense departments, and national intelligence to jointly issue a statement, experts assessed that it was "a reflection of U.S. priorities on North Korea."
"The Trump administration showed that it will engage more comprehensively than the Barack Obama administration," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "I'd say it is using a larger stick and a larger carrot to better bring about denuclearization by Pyongyang."
The incoming South Korean government is expected to be in sync with President Donald Trump's administration over policies on North Korea, given that the latter is surprisingly open to dialogue with Pyongyang, according to analysts, Thursday.
Dampening talk of military action against the North, the U.S. suggested "tightening economic sanctions and pursuing diplomatic measures" against the reclusive regime in a statement issued Wednesday.
Summarizing a White Housing briefing before Congress, the statement also suggested that the Trump administration remains "open to negotiations" regarding the Kim Jong-un regime's denuclearization, while being fully prepared for self-defense.
Jointly issued by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, the statement finalizes the Trump government's doctrine on Pyongyang.
"This is believed to be in line with the two leading presidential candidates' North Korea policies," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University.
The two candidates — Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo — have called for a two-track strategy of maintaining sanctions on while simultaneously resuming dialogue with North Korea.
Assuming that either Moon or Ahn will win in the presidential race, some analysts, however, are doubtful about such a strategy as it clashes with the hawkish Trump government's repeated assertion of using military options, including a pre-emptive strike.
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But Kim Yong-hyun said: "Now, it can be said that a candidate who aggressively seeks dialogue with Pyongyang will be in sync with Washington's diplomatic stance on the North."
Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, echoed the view, although he thinks that Washington will prefer sanctions over dialogue for the time being.
"If the U.S. policy on North Korea shifts to dialogue, there will be far less-than-expected clashes between Washington and the new liberal South Korean government that seeks peaceful inter-Korean relations," he said.
Although they did not rule out the possibility of a U.S. pre-emptive attack on the North, the experts said the much-touted military options will be "off the table" for a while.
They speculated that the U.S. decision is attributed to North Korea "refraining" from carrying out its sixth nuclear test recently.
Many observers predicted that Pyongyang would carry out the test on the occasion of one of its two major holidays this month — the 105th anniversary of the birth of its late founding father Kim Il-sung or the 85th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People's Army.
"The U.S. has been pressing North Korea in a comprehensive manner. It will still do so, but will also leave room for talks," Kim Yong-hyun said.
Citing that it has been not customary for the heads of the state and defense departments, and national intelligence to jointly issue a statement, experts assessed that it was "a reflection of U.S. priorities on North Korea."
"The Trump administration showed that it will engage more comprehensively than the Barack Obama administration," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "I'd say it is using a larger stick and a larger carrot to better bring about denuclearization by Pyongyang."
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