By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The crew of an aircraft carrying about 35 tons of weapons originating in North Korea has been charged with illegal possession of arms in Thailand.
A North Korea watcher said Monday that the United States was taking a two-track approach of sanctions and dialogue but it appeared to be putting more weight on the latter.
Prof. Yang Moo-jin at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul told The Korea Times that "in consideration of that, I think the United States will not show a big response and neither will North Korea."
Yang said North Korea might have been calling out the United States, which sent its special envoy Stephen Bosworth to the secretive state last week.
"In response, North Korea, in my understanding, might have insisted that the U.N. resolution is a hindrance," he said. "This case (of delivering weaponry) can be construed as an exploratory attempt to see where the United States will go."
Thailand has been given 45 days to report to the United Nations about the issue. If the United States and North Korea make slow progress in two-way dialogues or the six-party forum during the period, the case, Yang said, could put more pressure on the reclusive state.
The isolated state has engaged in weapons sales for a long time in a bid to obtain foreign currency.
South Korea is cautious about the case but said that it would be a clear violation of the U.N. Resolution 1874 if the reports turned out to be true.
"If it is confirmed that North Korea loaded the weapons, it violates the resolution," foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young told reporters. "Then, the Thai government can confiscate and dispose of them."
The United Nations adopted the condemnation inflicting sanctions after the North conducted its second nuclear test on May 25.