Obama Advised to Be Patient on N. Korea
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
The incoming U.S. administration will bring a new set of ideas to America's foreign policy next year. But U.S. news media is advising President-elect Barack Obama that when it comes to dealing with the North Korean regime, patience is definitely a virtue.
``Incoming presidents making big decisions in a hurry is a surefire recipe for error,'' news magazine Newsweek reported in its latest issue this month. ``The foreign-policy and national-security inbox shows that, even on pressing issues, Obama has the luxury of time.''
In foreign policy, Newsweek said, ``the reality is that, on the afternoon of Jan. 20, President Obama will face the same challenges that President Bush did… and none presents much opportunity for bold new initiatives.''
All the talk in Washington of ``change'' and ``hope'' brings demands for swift action: ``Do it now,'' ``first six months,'' ``hundred days,'' it said.
But when dealing with Pyongyang, ``Heroic efforts by (U.S. Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice and negotiator Chris Hill have come tantalizingly close to a settlement on North Korea's nuclear program. What's needed now is not some U.S. initiative but rather patient work stitching together the last pieces of the deal.''
The Obama camp has said in recent weeks that the Democratic Senator favors ``principled, direct diplomacy'' to complement the six-party denuclearization process.
And last week, North Korean nuclear negotiator Ri Gun said in New York that his country is ``ready to deal with'' whatever policy the incoming administration implements.
``We will have dialogue if (the United States) seeks dialogue. If it seeks isolation, we will stand against it,'' the North Korean said last week after meeting with U.S. negotiators.
In a break from past practices, North Korean media was swift in reporting the U.S. election result last week. In a state radio broadcast last Friday, it reported that Democratic Senator Obama beat Republican candidate John McCain by a large margin.
In 2000, North Korean media took 10 days to report on the election victory of George W. Bush. It then offered a commentary on that election result early 2001, warning that Bush's hard-line policy would cause serious problems.