By Kim Hyo-jin
U.S. experts have called on Seoul to take a more proactive role to promote inter-Korean reconciliation, at an academic forum Tuesday.
They said Seoul's further engagement with Pyongyang is the only way to restart contact between Washington and Pyongyang, during a seminar hosted by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
"Without progress on the South-North front, and without pressure from the South Korean government on the U.S. government, nothing is going to happen," said Joel Wit, the founder and editor of 38 North, an academic website that covers North Korea.
The expert pointed out that the Obama administration has had little interest in resuming talks with the repressive regime. Its diplomatic stance toward Pyongyang will hardly change as the U.S. is facing a presidential election, they added.
He advised that under such circumstances, Seoul should take the lead in changing the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
"Should the two Koreas hold a summit, it would make a lot of ripples in Washington," Wit said. "If North and South move forward on economic and other issues without making serious progress on the WMD issues, Washington is going to become extremely concerned about that."
Last week, Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, said that he hoped inter-Korean talks would support U.S. efforts to denuclearize the North.
Robert Carlin, a visiting scholar of International Security at Stanford University, also mentioned that it is high time for Seoul to take the lead.
"Pyongyang may consider waiting until the next government for inter-Korean dialogue unless it witnesses any substantial changes in the third year of President Park's presidential term," Carlin said.
"If Seoul misses the timing now, it could hardly find another chance for the next one to two years," he added.
Their statements came amid a lingering standoff between the two Korean over potential dialogue to discuss various pending issues.
Seoul has been calling on Pyongyang to come to the negotiation table first, while the latter has laid out several preconditions for such a meeting, including preventing the floating of balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets across the Demilitarized Zone, and halting joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises.
U.S. experts have called on Seoul to take a more proactive role to promote inter-Korean reconciliation, at an academic forum Tuesday.
They said Seoul's further engagement with Pyongyang is the only way to restart contact between Washington and Pyongyang, during a seminar hosted by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
"Without progress on the South-North front, and without pressure from the South Korean government on the U.S. government, nothing is going to happen," said Joel Wit, the founder and editor of 38 North, an academic website that covers North Korea.
The expert pointed out that the Obama administration has had little interest in resuming talks with the repressive regime. Its diplomatic stance toward Pyongyang will hardly change as the U.S. is facing a presidential election, they added.
He advised that under such circumstances, Seoul should take the lead in changing the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
"Should the two Koreas hold a summit, it would make a lot of ripples in Washington," Wit said. "If North and South move forward on economic and other issues without making serious progress on the WMD issues, Washington is going to become extremely concerned about that."
Last week, Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, said that he hoped inter-Korean talks would support U.S. efforts to denuclearize the North.
Robert Carlin, a visiting scholar of International Security at Stanford University, also mentioned that it is high time for Seoul to take the lead.
"Pyongyang may consider waiting until the next government for inter-Korean dialogue unless it witnesses any substantial changes in the third year of President Park's presidential term," Carlin said.
"If Seoul misses the timing now, it could hardly find another chance for the next one to two years," he added.
Their statements came amid a lingering standoff between the two Korean over potential dialogue to discuss various pending issues.
Seoul has been calling on Pyongyang to come to the negotiation table first, while the latter has laid out several preconditions for such a meeting, including preventing the floating of balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets across the Demilitarized Zone, and halting joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises.
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