By Yi Whan-woo
Concerns are growing that South Korea is not sufficiently encouraging the international community to adopt new sanctions against North Korea following the scandal-ridden President Park Geun-hye’s decision to skip this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Summit.
Analysts said Wednesday that such a decision “adds to woes” over the delay at the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) in passing a stronger resolution on Pyongyang in response to its fifth nuclear test.
They said the President is missing a chance to convince other heads of states to show and share Seoul’s determination to press the Kim Jong-un regime harder.
The APEC summit, which will run in Lima, Peru, from Nov. 19 to 20, will be attended by U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladmir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The four countries were all members of the six-party talks aimed at the denuclearization of North Korea. China and Russia, also veto-wielding members of the UNSC, are believed to be reluctant to adopt a new resolution against the Kim regime.
“It’s true South Korea cannot directly influence the UNSC to adopt fresh new sanctions against North Korea. But there are still many roles that Park could play, such as meeting and talking with other world leaders,” said Paik Hak-soon, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute. “And it’s regretful she decided not to attend the summit in Peru due to domestic affairs.”
Paik pointed out that the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s announcement, Tuesday, concerning Park’s absence at the APEC meeting comes amid a scandal surrounding her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil that surfaced last October.
The ministry denied speculation that the scandal affected Park, who is losing her grip on state affairs, in her decision to skip the APEC summit. It will be the first time for a South Korean leader to miss the summit since it began in 1993.
“The APEC summit has been critical for our leader to enhance ties with other heads of states, especially in terms of cooperation on security on the Korean Peninsula,” said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University.
APEC, with 21 members, focuses on sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the region. North Korea is not a member.