By Kim Jung-yoon

The Obama administration signaled a shift to a more hawkish stance on North Korea following Pyongyang’s rocket launch and the cancellation of the Feb. 29 agreement between Washington and Pyongyang, according to an analysis by a policy research institute Wednesday.

The Asan Institute for Policy Studies held its annual forum “Asan Plenum 2012” at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Sogong-dong, central Seoul Wednesday to discuss North Korean issues.

During the meeting, Christopher Hill, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia said the cancellation of the deal was due to North Korea, which has no willingness to abandon its nuclear program.

“After the rocket launch, the Obama administration has changed to a more hawkish stance, and a negative atmosphere prevails,” he said.

Victor Cha, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington was also skeptical on the future of the Korean peninsula saying North Korea had blasted the hopes and expectations of the U.S.

Meanwhile, Pan Zhen Qiang, senior advisor to China Reform Forum expressed the need for a resumption of the six-party denuclearization talks.

“Even if the talks do not make progress, they maintain stability in the region, because they involve the two most influential states including China,” he said, pointing to mutual trust and understanding of the parties as preceding requirements.

There were also different opinions on whether North Korea will change.

Hill referred to the six party talks as a failure, urging for constructive measures to accomplish regime change in the North.