ed New NK solution

6-party talks should evolve into 2-plus-4 format

The vexing issue of North Korea appears to be reaching a new inflection point, offering a rare chance to resolve this problem once and for all. To seize this opportunity, it is important to reset the current six-party formula in a way to give South Korea an initiative in dealing with North Korea and re-purpose it not just for the original goal of dismantling Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction but for handling the aftermath of its disarmament as well.

The pieces fell into place at the recent U.S.-China summit. President Park Geun-hye also showed she is up to the task during the ongoing 70th anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations. Obama said during the post-summit joint press conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping, "The U.S. and China reaffirmed our commitment to the complete, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. We will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapon state."

This joint position may sound like business as usual but it is not. Above all, it came at a time when the Beijing-Pyongyang ties were at their worst. China is eager to show it can live up to global standards as a new superpower so the blind support of its old ally for its wanton behavior comes at an increasingly unbearable cost. In contrast, a new friendship with South Korea, based on strong trade relations, is becoming an attractive alternative, the North Korean implosion and the subsequent refugee spillover being their common challenge. This new dynamic obviously has motivated Xi to court Seoul.

From Seoul's point of view, President Park has inadvertently found a strong hand in dealing with Pyongyang when she refused to back down from the “who-blinks-first” contest following its landmine ambush. Warning the North not to implement its fourth nuclear test or fire a long-range missile, Park globalized the North Korean issue to solve with the help of others during her keynote speech at the U.N. She has gained the respect of China and the U.S., meaning they may allow Seoul to lead the Korean peace process.

To facilitate this process, it is pivotal to resuscitate the six-party talks by reformatting them into two-plus-four and re-purposing them. The new format would have the two Koreas as main dialogue partners so as to localize their issues, while the U.S., China, Russia and Japan would serve as guarantors of any inter-Korean agreements and as umpires over their disputes.

The current six-member format has been mothballed because of the North's sabotage and China-U.S. disagreements but with its narrowed set of goals limiting its scope of action. The suggested format is more purpose-oriented, as shown by the success of the P5+1 dialogue, which led to the Iran deal. The U.S., China, Russia, Britain and France, the five United Nations permanent members, worked on Iran to freeze its nuclear program for 15 years in return for the lifting of sanctions. The German unification was also partially attributed to a two-plus-four channel ― involving East and West Germany and the four occupying forces of the U.S., the Soviet Union, Britain and France. The priority for Seoul is to create a firmer peace to coexist with the North without one party threatening the other. Of course, they can discuss unification along the way.

What we are seeing could be the best solution for the Korean riddle, which has frustrated hawks for promoting coercive measures and doves for seeing the dialogue being an end in itself amid the lack of consensus between China and the U.S. As a result, the Korean Peninsula has been locked into a precarious balance of power. We can’t afford to let this best chance go without seizing it.