NK shows sign of openness toward Park

By Kim Young-jin

North Korean state media has reported the result of the South Korean presidential election in unusually prompt fashion, a possible sign Pyongyang is leaving the door open for talks with the incoming Park Geun-hye administration.

The dispatch from the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released late Thursday came a day after Park’s narrow victory over liberal Moon Jae-in, though it did not mention the President-elect by name.

"The Saenuri Party candidate was elected after a close race in the South's presidential election on Dec. 19, according to domestic and foreign news reports," the KCNA said.

The prompt, unadorned coverage contrasted Pyongyang’s reaction in 2007, when it did not report the election of incumbent Lee Myung-bak, with which the Kim regime has had volatile relations. In other elections, it has waited two or more days to release a report.

Analysts say the reaction suggests that the North may try to test the new administration’s approach to inter-Korean affairs, following Park’s pledge to try to build trust with the Kim Jong-un regime while bolstering its defense posture.

It also points to an updating of the North’s state media under Kim. The regime surprised the world in April by publicly announcing the failure of its long-range rocket launch and has given its news broadcasts a more modern look through computerized graphics.

Park’s policy on the North is likely to take a step towards engagement following the Lee Myung-bak administration’s tough reciprocal stance.

While it was widely assumed that Pyongyang would have preferred a liberal in Cheong Wa Dae, its successful yet provocative launch of its Unha-3 rocket, seen as a ballistic missile test, threw a wrench in the perception and signaled the Kim regime’s intent to move forward on its nuclear weapons program on its own schedule.

Analysts say Pyongyang may opt for some level of engagement in order to ease its isolation, which has caused a shortage of capital and sent inflation soaring. Such steps could be necessary if it plans to continue efforts to modernize the dilapidated economy.

The election of Park, the daughter of late military strongman Park Chung-hee sets up a symmetrical dynamic with Kim, who is the grandson of country founder Kim Il-sung and Park Chung-hee’s rival.

While the regime earlier this year bashed the President-elect for her family ties, it later stepped back, and on election day it bashed the Saenuri Party in typical fashion while excluding mention of Park.