Will Park's US visit be successful?

By Kim Tae-gyu

With President Park Geun-hye’s U.S. visit just days away, there are high hopes that her first overseas trip as a head of state head would provide a breakthrough in the ongoing impasse on the Korean peninsula.

Observers say the key issue is how to deal with the inter-Korean joint industrial park in Gaeseong whose operation has been suspended for almost a month now amid the escalating tensions between the two Koreas.

“Most significant is how the two Koreas proceed with the return of the seven South Korean workers in Gaeseong,” said Prof. Yang Moo-jin at the University of North Korean Studies.

“In case the two sides leave room for resumption of the Gaeseong zone, Park might come up with a declaration seeking talks with the North after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama.”

If the two Koreas opt for the permanent closure of the Gaeseong zone, Yang expects Park to exert more pressure on the North.

In the midst of the continuing confrontations on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea’s nuclear test on Feb. 12, Pyongyang banned access to the Gaeseong Complex and also pulled out its 53,000 workers there last month.

In response, the South proposed a dialogue with the North last week. But this request was largely ignored, prompting Seoul’s decision to withdraw its workers from the area.

But seven South Koreans still remain there due to some unsettled financial issues _ the North requested payments of unpaid wages, corporate taxes, and communication service charges.

During her week-long visit to the U.S., Park is expected to discuss a broad range of topics including the Gaeseong setbacks with Obama in a summit in Washington.

“As far as the Gaeseong complex is concerned, the North didn’t resort to its trademark brinkmanship. Why do you think that it takes issue with the unpaid fees? They do not want to completely shut down the zone and Seoul needs to know that,” Yang said.

Chang Yong-seok, a researcher at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies affiliated with Seoul National University, agreed that Seoul should be correctly aware of the communist regime’s intention.

“The North does not criticize President Park by name. That contrasts with Park’s predecessor former President Lee Myung-bak, who received carpet bombing just after he was inaugurated,” Chang said.

But Chang was pessimistic whether the forthcoming summit between Seoul and Washington will create any momentum to resolve the current deadlock between the two Koreas.

“The chances are that the two leaders will come up with principles demanding the North’s abandonment of its nuclear ambitions and stopping provocations,” he said.

“They are predicted to wait to see the results of talks between China and North Korea.”

Beijing is reported to have recently hinted of deploying its special representative for the Korean Peninsula, Wu Dawei, to North Korea.