By Jun Ji-hye
President Park Geun-hye’s administration has signaled a significant shift in the nation’s North Korea policy. It is testing a softer approach by seeking dialogue that offers to provide humanitarian aid without first requiring Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
After detailing a five-year policy plan to Park, Wednesday, Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said, “The door for dialogue is always open and we hope this will play a role in solving the South-North problems, such as the nuclear issue.”
Former President Lee Myung-bak’s approach insisted Pyongyang abandon its nuclear ambitions before he would engage in talks or provide humanitarian aid.
Experts say Park’s two-track policy, dubbed “trustpolitik,” is well balanced and an improvement on policies pursued by previous administrations.
“Park’s inter-Korean policy is a great deal different compared to the previous one, being more flexible. It is a step in the right direction for Seoul to actively show it is willing to talk, even though the North has recently ratcheted up its threats,” said Park Young-ho, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU).
He said that North-South politics on the peninsula will not change if Park’s government adopts approaches similar to those taken by her predecessors.
“Looking back to previous policies, former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun focused on aid, while Lee concentrated on pressure. None of these attracted successful evaluations from both analysts and the public,” he said.
The analyst summarized Park’s approach as “well balanced” because it was not one-sided.
“Park did not promise unconditional aid. She will continue to insist on denuclearization. But, at the same time, she signaled her will to actively improve inter-Korean relations,” he said.
Aware of the slim chance Pyongyang would offer a peace pipe first, the KINU analyst said, “This is why the President might have decided to attempt to express Seoul’s sincerity first. I believe it will help trust-building between two Koreas.”
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at the Department of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University, agreed.
“I want to give a positive assessment about President Park’s outlined plans. I think it is very meaningful that the South gives the Stalinist state a signal to talk first about modes of engagement,” he said.
The professor also said Park’s inter-Korean policy is distinctive and multi-faceted compared to that of the previous government.
“In my opinion, the government needs to continue to strongly express its desire that the South wants to upgrade Seoul-Pyongyang relations. Park’s policy direction is well designed in this regard,” he said.
KINU’s Park said, however, that the trust-building process will take some time to develop because military tension between the Stalinist state and Seoul intensified greatly after the North carried out its third nuclear test last month.
“Park’s policy will not be able to take effect immediately due to mounting military tension that has made people in South more cautious. But it is still important to show that Seoul is set to actively move toward change,” he said.