'NK transition opens door for engagement'

By Kim Young-jin

Now is the time for regional players to take coordinated steps to engage North Korea, as its new leader Kim Jong-un seeks to emphasize the economy rather than military might, a scholar says in a new book.

The assertion from Moon Chung-in, an international relations expert at Yonsei University, comes as Pyongyang steps up propaganda on improving quality of life as part of its promise to become “strong and prosperous” by 2012.

“It is in that moment, the transition from security-first to security-plus-prosperity, that the unity of the North Korean political system will come under strain,” Moon says in “The Sunshine Policy: In Defense of Engagement as a Path to Peace in Korea.” “This should be the focal point of international responses to the transition process.”

Pyongyang has taken small steps to reform, bolstering cooperation with China and upgrading plans for special economic zones. But observers warn opening the economy could encourage greater information flow, posing challenges to its authoritarian system.

Making matters worse, the North’s isolation has deepened following a failed rocket launch in April — the latest chapter in its oscillation between provocation and negotiations.

“In order to break the vicious cycle, South Korea, the United States and China in particular need to embark on a coordinated, constructive engagement policy to normalize and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula,” and mitigate further provocations. Seoul should take the lead by rolling back sanctions for the North’s provocations in 2010, he adds.