U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, Monday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Kim Young-jin

U.S. President Barack Obama challenged North Korea to smarten up and improve life for its people Monday, saying the days of Pyongyang leveraging its provocative behavior for concessions “are over.”

The pointed remarks came on the sidelines of the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, where the specter of the North’s planned satellite launch on a long-range rocket next month loomed large while world leaders gather to discuss preventing nuclear terrorism.

“Today we say, Pyongyang: Have the courage to pursue peace and give a better life to the people of North Korea,” Obama said during a speech at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. “And know this ― there will be no more rewards for provocation. Those days are over.”

The North, considered one of the world’s worst violators of human rights, has frequently ratcheted up tensions to raise the stakes for negotiations and concessions, only to walk away without fulfilling its obligations.

Tensions are taut again since Pyongyang recently announced it would launch the rocket next month in what Washington and Seoul believe is cover for a long-range missile test. The plan puts into limbo a recent U.S.-North Korea deal under which the North offered concessions on its nuclear weapons programs in exchange for food aid.

Seoul, which fears the test will be used to develop a long-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, said Monday that it was studying measures such as tracking and shooting down parts of the projectile should they veer into South Korean territory.

Pyongyang insists it intends to launch the satellite for research and scientific purposes.

Despite the North’s repeated claims to an inherent right to the peaceful use of space, any testing of multi-stage rockets has been banned under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874, which was put in place after the country’s second nuclear test, in 2009.

“You can continue down the road you are on but we know where that leads,” Obama warned. “It leads to more of the same: more broken dreams, more isolation, ever more distance between North Koreans and the dignity and the opportunity they deserve.”

On his third visit to Korea, Obama reiterated his commitment to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons, highlighting steps taken by his country and the international community towards a nuke-free world.

To combat the “intransigence” of North Korea and Iran, he said an “international norm is emerging” over nuclear weapons under which treaties and rules are more strictly enforced.

Pyongyang remains as difficult to read as ever as “great successor” Kim Jong-un takes power after the death of his father Kim Jong-il.

After peering at the North from the tense Demilitarized Zone straddling the Koreas Sunday, Obama raised questions about the new leadership, saying it was "unclear who was calling the shots" in Pyongyang and "what their long-term objectives are.”

In an auditorium packed with students and dignitaries, Obama urged the leadership to seek a better path, reiterating Washington holds “no hostile intent” toward Pyongyang and is committed to peace on the peninsula.

“Your provocations and pursuit of nuclear weapons cannot achieve the security you seek; it undermines it. Instead of the dignity you desire, you are more isolated. Instead of earning the respect of the world, you‘ve been met with strong sanctions and condemnation,” he said.

North Korea is expected to elevate Kim Jong-un to two key posts during meetings of its ruling party and parliament, formally concluding a power transition.

Obama said his country was doing its share to reduce nuclear threats, saying it and Russia were on their way to reducing their deployed nuclear warheads to their lowest levels since the 1950’s under the New Start Treaty. He said the countries would also discuss reducing tactical weapons and warheads in reserve.

Describing South Korea as a leader in the field, Obama highlighted the “astonishing benefits” of peaceful nuclear energy, saying research and development were need to increase safe and clean use of the such energy.

The American president said his trip to the DMZ hammered home the stark differences between the North under the Kim regime and the affluent South. Citing German unification, he expressed hope for a unified Korea in the future.

“The currents of history cannot be held back forever. The deep longing for freedom and dignity will not go away. So too on this divided peninsula,” he said.

“The day all Koreans yearn for will not come easily or without great sacrifice. But make no mistake, it will come. And when it does…the Korean people, at long last, will be whole and free.”