ED Food aid to North

Humanitarian move aimed at breaking deadlock

The Moon Jae-in administration has formally floated the idea of providing food aid to North Korea. The idea came four days after Pyongyang test-fired short-range missiles into the East Sea. The announcement followed Moon's phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The proposed assistance is certainly designed to help break the deadlock over not only inter-Korean ties but also denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington. Simply put, it is a carrot to appease the Kim Jong-un regime that has refused to hold dialogue since the failure of Kim's second summit with Trump in Hanoi in late February.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, Trump expressed support for Seoul's provision of food aid to the North. Presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung quoted Trump as telling Moon during their phone conversation that the South's provision of food to the North as a humanitarian move will be a “timely” and “positive” step, and gave his support.

The aid offer should not come as a surprise. Seoul and Washington have recognized the need for food assistance to the poverty-stricken North. Last week U.N. agencies said in a report that North Korea was in need of about 1.36 million tons of additional grain to make up for an acute food shortage.

More importantly, the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. are trying to use the humanitarian move as an incentive for the North to return to the negotiating table. As things stand now, it is important to keep the momentum for dialogue alive. It is equally important to prevent Pyongyang from escalating tensions with more military provocations.

That's why Seoul and Washington have shown a measured response to the North's Saturday launch of the missiles. A possible tit-for-tat reaction could make matters worse, probably seeing the North shut the door on talks with the South and the U.S.

The Moon government needs to decide how to deliver the proposed food aid to the North, either through an international aid agency or directly. It also needs to work out the details, including the amount and timing.

Officials are expected to talk with U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun who is in Seoul to discuss issues such as the North's launching of the missiles and the food aid proposal. They need to map out measures to prod the Kim regime to return to dialogue.

Yet the problem is whether Pyongyang will accept the food aid offer. No one can rule out the possibility of the North rejecting the proposal unless the U.S. accepts its demand for sanctions relief in return for partial denuclearization steps.

In this regard, Seoul and Washington should step up their joint efforts to persuade Pyongyang to stop its high-pressure tactics and resume the denuclearization talks. For its part, the North needs to respond to the goodwill gesture by the South and the U.S. in a positive way. If it loses this opportunity to get out of the impasse, the North will face the grim reality of famine and economic woes on the top of sanctions.