By Kang Seung-woo
The once-conciliatory mood for inter-Korean dialogue in January appears to be evaporating, as North Korea continues add prerequisites for talks to place.
Additionally, should the annual South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises be held in March as scheduled, history has shown that the South and North will likely assume confrontational positions about the drills.
Tensions on the peninsula appeared to thaw somewhat early this month when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned the possibility of a summit with President Park Geun-hye, who later responded positively.
The reclusive regime first asked the South to control anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns staged by North Korean defectors before sitting down with Seoul, and the South's unification ministry said that it would take action against the distribution if necessary ― a sharp contrast to its previous stance that such demonstrations were legally protected exercises in freedom of expression.
Despite the South's change of stance regarding the leaflet launches, the North made more demands such as the halt to the annual joint military exercises and the lifting of the so-called "May 24 sanctions" in order to lay the groundwork for inter-Korean dialogue.
The economic sanctions that ban inter-Korean economic exchanges and cooperation were imposed by the Lee Myung-bak administration in retaliation for the North's torpedoing of the South's naval ship, Cheonan, in 2010.
"The government has no plan to take any measures on the North's preconditions in advance," said Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Byeong-cheol.
On Dec. 29, the Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation made a proposal for high-level talks between the two nations this month, but the North has remained silent about on the proposal.
"We do not cling to a meeting in January and are open to meeting the North beyond this month should it respond to the proposal," the spokesman said.
Later in the day, Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said at a forum held in Seoul, "What's important is our will for dialogue and North Korea's positive response."
He also said that the government is open to discussing all pending issues including the economic sanctions.
The North appears to have run out of patience following the South's continuous rejections of its demands.
On Sunday, the North's National Defense Commission warned that the South will face stern punishment unless it changes course.
"Improving and developing inter-Korean relations is the task of the times which brooks no further delay," it said through the state-run Korean Central News Agency. "The South Korean authorities should sincerely respond to our call for opening up a broad avenue to independent reunification through concerted efforts."
On Wednesday, the Rodong Sinmun also criticized the South, citing its political and social problems, including the tragic April 16 sinking of the Sewol ferry and the "pro-North" controversy surrounding the deportation of Korean-American Shin Eun-mi, who wrote a book about her trip to Pyongyang and held debates about North Korea.
However, North Korea watchers say that the North's action is intended to seize the initiative in a potential meeting to advance the countries' frosty ties, leaving room for bilateral talks.
"The North also wants to hold talks with the South because the former wants to get out of financial difficulties through resumption of the Mount Geumgang tourism project," said An Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies. The stalled program is a precious source of hard currency that brought in some $40 million (43 billion won) a year.
"In this regard, the North intends to create a conciliatory mood to its favor and that is why it has heightened criticism of the South."
He added that what the North really wants is to completely control the leaflet distribution, or the launch of DVDs of Sony's "The Interview."
"Despite the unification ministry's announcement, there have been several campaigns to launch balloons with leaflets and they are really concerned about a possible distribution of the DVDs," An said.
The film's plot depicts the fictional assassination of the North Korean leader and Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector-turned-activist, and some members of the U.S.-based Human Rights Foundation are planning to send the DVDs across the border in hopes of breaking down the personality cult built around the dictator.
Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies echoed An, saying, "The North's criticism without an official rejection of the South's dialogue offer is aimed at the country taking a leading role in the inter-Korean talks.
"There still remains a possibility that South and North Korea will meet each other in February."
The once-conciliatory mood for inter-Korean dialogue in January appears to be evaporating, as North Korea continues add prerequisites for talks to place.
Additionally, should the annual South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises be held in March as scheduled, history has shown that the South and North will likely assume confrontational positions about the drills.
Tensions on the peninsula appeared to thaw somewhat early this month when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned the possibility of a summit with President Park Geun-hye, who later responded positively.
The reclusive regime first asked the South to control anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns staged by North Korean defectors before sitting down with Seoul, and the South's unification ministry said that it would take action against the distribution if necessary ― a sharp contrast to its previous stance that such demonstrations were legally protected exercises in freedom of expression.
Despite the South's change of stance regarding the leaflet launches, the North made more demands such as the halt to the annual joint military exercises and the lifting of the so-called "May 24 sanctions" in order to lay the groundwork for inter-Korean dialogue.
The economic sanctions that ban inter-Korean economic exchanges and cooperation were imposed by the Lee Myung-bak administration in retaliation for the North's torpedoing of the South's naval ship, Cheonan, in 2010.
"The government has no plan to take any measures on the North's preconditions in advance," said Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Byeong-cheol.
On Dec. 29, the Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation made a proposal for high-level talks between the two nations this month, but the North has remained silent about on the proposal.
"We do not cling to a meeting in January and are open to meeting the North beyond this month should it respond to the proposal," the spokesman said.
Later in the day, Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said at a forum held in Seoul, "What's important is our will for dialogue and North Korea's positive response."
He also said that the government is open to discussing all pending issues including the economic sanctions.
The North appears to have run out of patience following the South's continuous rejections of its demands.
On Sunday, the North's National Defense Commission warned that the South will face stern punishment unless it changes course.
"Improving and developing inter-Korean relations is the task of the times which brooks no further delay," it said through the state-run Korean Central News Agency. "The South Korean authorities should sincerely respond to our call for opening up a broad avenue to independent reunification through concerted efforts."
On Wednesday, the Rodong Sinmun also criticized the South, citing its political and social problems, including the tragic April 16 sinking of the Sewol ferry and the "pro-North" controversy surrounding the deportation of Korean-American Shin Eun-mi, who wrote a book about her trip to Pyongyang and held debates about North Korea.
However, North Korea watchers say that the North's action is intended to seize the initiative in a potential meeting to advance the countries' frosty ties, leaving room for bilateral talks.
"The North also wants to hold talks with the South because the former wants to get out of financial difficulties through resumption of the Mount Geumgang tourism project," said An Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies. The stalled program is a precious source of hard currency that brought in some $40 million (43 billion won) a year.
"In this regard, the North intends to create a conciliatory mood to its favor and that is why it has heightened criticism of the South."
He added that what the North really wants is to completely control the leaflet distribution, or the launch of DVDs of Sony's "The Interview."
"Despite the unification ministry's announcement, there have been several campaigns to launch balloons with leaflets and they are really concerned about a possible distribution of the DVDs," An said.
The film's plot depicts the fictional assassination of the North Korean leader and Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector-turned-activist, and some members of the U.S.-based Human Rights Foundation are planning to send the DVDs across the border in hopes of breaking down the personality cult built around the dictator.
Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies echoed An, saying, "The North's criticism without an official rejection of the South's dialogue offer is aimed at the country taking a leading role in the inter-Korean talks.
"There still remains a possibility that South and North Korea will meet each other in February."
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