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By Sunny Lee
Contributing Writer
It's almost axiomatic to believe that the key to the North Korean nuclear issue is the United States.
International media, for example, characteristically highlight it as a drama mainly played out by the U.S. and North Korea.
The view was even more pronounced as the international community watched the unfolding saga of the bilateral talks the duo enacted last week.
Yet an old mantra at the U.S. state department was: "The key to the North Korean belligerence is China."
This, interestingly, shows that the U.S. defers to the Middle Kingdom the key role in resolving the nuclear standoff, recognizing China's influence on North Korea. If so, China, as an alternative to the U.S., may be the key to the North Korean puzzle.
China is also the host to the multilateral consortium, known as the six-party talks, that has been mobilized to dissuade the North's nuclear ambition.
The view that underscores China's role was seen as even more prominent at the National Assembly last week.
About the same time Obama's highest working-level diplomat on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, returned from Pyongyang, a group of influential Chinese experts on North Korea arrived in Seoul. They, together with their South Korean counterparts, including the former Unification Minister Lim Dong-won, gathered at the National Assembly to exchange their views on the North Korean issue and the overall relationship of China toward the two Koreas.
There was something unusual about the meeting. The high-profile Chinese delegation ― headed by Li Xiguang, the executive dean of Tsinghua University's international journalism school, and included Professor Kong Qingdong of Peking University, who is a direct descendent of Confucius; Xiong Lei, a renowned commentator on current affairs who teaches at Beijing Foreign Studies University; and Yun Shan, a senior editor of Xinhua News Agency, financed their own travel. The organizer of this meeting, Chung Ki-yul, a Korean-American Christian pastor who has visited North Korea 70 times, didn't seek any public funding for the meeting.
"As far as I remember, this is the first international conference that I attended that was not sponsored by any Western governmental or non-governmental organizations. This gives us freedom to talk about our independent ideas," said Li, the head of the Chinese delegation.
The fact that a team of Chinese scholars discussed their views on North Korea right at South Korea's National Assembly was quite uncommon by itself. But what was even more uncommon was what they talked about at the meeting, titled "Northeast Asian Scholars for Peace Dialogue" because many of them were not "mainstream."
Chon Hyun-joon, a senior analyst on North Korea at the South Korean government-run Korea Institute for National Unification, who participated as a moderator, remarked afterwards: "I don't think I've ever attended anything like this before. It was refreshing."
What is even more refreshing was that North Korea has already agreed to attend a follow-up meeting to this "no-strings-attached" forum on North Korea that will be held in Beijing next February.
The Korea Times had an opportunity to observe the meeting. Below is the excerpt of some of the remarks from the participants.
China Playing A More Key Role?
Rev. Chung Ki-yul (U.S.): Many people think the key to the North Korean problem is the U.S. I beg to differ. I think the biggest factor is China and we need to create a new paradigm of thinking to look at the situation by recognizing China's role, based on mutual respect and equality.
Li Xiguang (Tsinghua University): In 2007, Chinese President Hu Jintao made it clear that China doesn't differentiate between countries based on their size and degree of wealth, but treats each country as an equal. He also said China respects the rights of each country to choose its own development pattern, and doesn't interfere with other's internal affairs and doesn't enforce its view on to others.
Kong Qingdong (Peking University): However, the solution for North Korea's nuclear issue ultimately rests with the attitude of the U.S. America is the world's superpower. There are very few wars, regional disputes, bloodsheds and deaths that are not related to the U.S. today. America must reflect and bear the responsibility that is commensurate with its status as the world's superpower. People who are most concerned about the North Korean issue and who want peace in East Asia are the people who live in the region. Self-determinism is important.
Xiong Lei (Beijing Foreign Studies University): China, North Korea and South Korea are the three countries that receive direct impact from the North's nuclear programs. China doesn't feel safe when there is the presence of the U.S. military in South Korea. The biggest security threat in East Asia is not North Korea, but America. Under this circumstance, China should straighten up its posture toward North Korea. Because China's didn't stand up for North Korea, the six-party talks have transformed into a situation where North Korea was ganged up on by the five other countries. We shouldn't be persuaded by the Western view. We shouldn't betray the friendship between North Korea and China.
Yun Shan (Xinghua News agency): The George W. Bush administration designated North Korea as a member of the "axis of evil." However, by unilaterally doing so, it actually ended up raising the international tension, as people began to feel that they were surrounded by evil. Many people actually don't know the criteria to join the axis of evil. If any attempt to own weapons of mass destruction is the criteria, then the U.S., which already has a huge stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, doesn't have the right to criticize others. The U.S. during its some 200 years of history has directly started a war or been involved in various wars as many as 69 times. Then, think about it. Who is more a war-driven impulsive country? Is it North Korea or the U.S.? The U.S. should drop its double standards.
Lee Chan-woo (Japan): I agree with the view that calls for an honest role from China, but disagree with the view that calls for China to serve as a mediator. In international relations, a country claims to be a "faithful mediator" does so only when doing so fits with its own national interest. The fact that China is a close ally to North Korea doesn't necessarily mean it can serve as a mediator between the U.S. and North Korea. China's role is to pursue the regional cooperation that serves its national interest and participate in the international effort to settle a peaceful regime in the Korean Peninsula when it judges that the stability of the Korean Peninsula serves China's interest.
Chung Young-chul (Sogang University): There's no doubt that China plays an important role. But an excessive reliance and expectation on China is the result of wrong policy judgment. The overrated expectation by the U.S. and South Korea on China is also their admittance of their inability to resolve the issue through direct negotiations with North Korea. This is also an extension of Cold War thinking regarding North Korea as a puppet regime of the Soviet Union or China. Most of all, South Korea should be able to talk directly to North Korea, instead of detouring via Beijing. This serves its claim that it is the direct party concerned.
Lee Nam-ju (Sungkonghoe University, South Korea): South Korea has some uncertainty with the rise of China and how it will affect the security paradigm in East Asia. The two need to boost trust.
Xiong Lei (Beijing Foreign Studies University): It also depends on whether the South Korean leadership looks at China as its genuine strategic partner. It is less determined by China, but more determined by South Korea's attitude. Having said that, China and North Korea have their own differences as well. For example, North Korea disagreed with China's Cultural Revolution and the launch of economic reform policy. China opposed North Korea's nuclear testing. The popularity of South Korean pop culture, called the Hallyu Wave, swept through China. But I've never heard of a North Korean wave in China. Chinese media, even the neutral part, now portrays it as a "mysterious" country. There has also been a growing voice among Chinese scholars who argue that China should ally with the U.S.
Kim Keun-sik (Kyungnam University): Essentially, the key to the North's nuclear issue is to resolve the mistrust between North Korea and the U.S. Some conservatives in South Korea believe when conditions are met, North Korea will give up its nukes. The problem is that these conditions will not be created by the U.S. I personally doubt the U.S. under the Obama administration will provide the conditions.
Kong Qingdong (Peking University): The alliance between North Korea and China is important. But there is also a view in China that emphasizes a principle of mutual benefit.
Xiong Lei (Beijing Foreign Studies University): The typical view that North Korea is a country that always toys with nuclear weapons and does not abides by its pledge is too simplistic. Maybe we should consider a deeper level of reasoning why North Korea is the way it is. North Korea is always portrayed as a wayward teen, who doesn't listen to its parents. We should try to understand why North Korea doesn't want to be a good boy. By the way, the peace effort between the two Koreas in the year 2000 was possible because there was a corresponding reaching out from North Korea. But then, why did they only give the Nobel peace prize to Kim Dae-jung?
Lim Dong-won (a former minister of unification): There is a growing interest in a peace treaty between North Korea and the other three relevant countries: China, the U.S. and South Korea. A peace treaty shouldn't play the role of fixing the North-South division permanent. If we are in a state of division, there is bound to be competition for legitimacy and an arms race between the two. So, we should steer the peace treaty so that it can serve as a prelude to the reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
sunny.lee@koreatimes.co.kr
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