Inter-Korean Crisis

Pyongyang Should Not Turn Clock Back

Inter-Korean relations have been thrown into their worst crisis since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February. On Monday, North Korea decided to suspend tours to Gaeseong, just north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and cross-border rail services starting Dec. 1. It is apparent that the decision is designed to protest Lee's hard-line policy toward the recalcitrant country.

First we cannot but express deep concern about the North's reckless and hostile move which could no doubt put the inter-Korean ties into jeopardy. The move followed Pyongyang's Nov. 12 threat to strictly control border crossings from next month, accusing the South of causing a deadlock in the inter-Korean cooperation and reconciliation. The threat is seen as a well-calculated step to tame the Lee administration.

Thus, the planned suspension of the Gaeseong tour project for South Koreans and the rail services signals the North's complete return to its Cold War-style brinkmanship tactics. Pyongyang has been demanding the conservative Seoul government implement agreements reached during the two inter-Korean summits ― first in 2000 and then in 2007. This demand is nothing but the North's bid to get unconditional economic aid from the South.

In fact, the Kim Jong-il regime had enjoyed generous aid from Lee's predecessors ― former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun ― whose liberal governments tried to promote national reconciliation by advocating the ``sunshine policy" of active engagement with the North. But the South-North ties began to strain from the start of Lee's presidency due to his policy of linking aid to the communist state's progress in denuclearization.

It is regrettable that the North has tried to backpedal on its denuclearization commitment, increase tensions on the peninsula with nuclear blackmail, and threaten to go back to Cold War confrontations with the South and other neighbors. Pyongyang should realize that its latest threat against Seoul would only do more harm than good to the impoverished state.

The Mt. Geumgang tourism project came to a halt in July when a South Korean housewife was shot to death by a North Korean guard at the scenic mountain resort. If the Gaeseong tour program is stopped as planned, the North will suffer from a considerable loss. In addition, Pyongyang has threatened to expel half of South Korean officials and businessmen from the inter-Korean industrial complex in Gaeseong. This step would unquestionably deal a severe setback to the complex's operation.

The Citizen's Solidarity for Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation estimates that the closure of the complex could bring over 500 billion won ($350 million) in investment losses to the South. It also warns that the North will not be able to attract foreign investment in the future as the closure will hurt its international credibility.

The Geumgang and Gaeseong tourism projects and the industrial park are not only the symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation but also a cash cow for the famine-stricken North. Therefore, we call on the North to give up its self-destructive attempt to turn the clock back. Let's move toward co-prosperity.