Skepticism grows over dialogue with NK
South Korean officials check the stage at a performance center in the Mount Geumgang resort for a joint performance of the two Koreas during their inspection visit to North Korea, Jan. 23. The North abruptly cancelled the joint event, Monday night. / Courtesy of unification ministry
By Kim Rahn
North Korea’s sudden cancellation of a joint inter-Korean cultural event at Mount Geumgang, Monday, has again brought concerns about the effectiveness of holding dialogue with the unpredictable Kim Jong-un regime.
Conservatives are intensifying their offensive toward the Moon Jae-in administration, saying its peace overture alongside the PyeongChang Winter Olympics is not working and the North is taking advantage of the Games to glorify its regime by holding a massive military parade the day before the opening ceremony.
Late Monday night, Pyongyang abruptly called off the joint cultural event which the Koreas were planning to hold at the Mount Geumgang resort Feb. 4.
It blamed Seoul’s media, which it claimed has encouraged “insulting” public sentiment toward its “sincere” measures regarding the Olympics and even started an argument over its “internal” celebration event.
South Korean authorities and media suspect the “internal event” refers to the military parade North Korea plans to hold Feb. 8, the country’s holiday honoring the foundation of its armed forces.
The North has been preparing the parade, and satellite images spotted crowds of people practicing a mass performance at Kim Il Sung Square and a large number of military vehicles gathering at Mirim Airport, according to Voice of America.
The North may mobilize up to 50,000 people and 200 pieces of military equipment and vehicles, according to government sources.
Considering the North used to show off its nuclear and missile forces in military parades, it may seek to show the world its long-range missiles or nuclear weapons at a time when international attention is on the North’s participation in the Olympics.
Not only the opposition bloc but also the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized the North’s flip-flopping, saying it was possible for Pyongyang to break other agreements as well.
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) said it was not the first time for North Korea to break a promise. “The South needs to demand the North cancel the nuclear parade, and get an apology from the country for breaking its promise,” said LKP spokesman Rep. Chang Je-won.
The minor opposition People’s Party said North Korea was making a mistake if it thought it could get some advantages out of the move. “If it sought to have the sanctions on the country weakened through Olympic participation, it was a misjudgment,” party spokeswoman Lee Haeng-ja said.
“Holding a massive military parade on the eve of the Olympics will be like pouring cold water on the Games,” she said, adding the government should not be swayed by the North’s rudeness anymore.
Even the ruling DPK expressed concerns.
“It is very regrettable for North Korea to unilaterally cancel the cultural event,” said spokeswoman Rep. Baek Hye-ryun. “The North carrying out the agreements is the only way to prove its sincerity over the earlier pledge to cooperate for the success of the Olympics.”
She said flip-flopping over agreements does not help and frequent breaking promises will only hurt the North’s credibility. “It should bear in mind restoring credibility is the first step in improving inter-Korean relations.”