Concerns increase over N. Korea

By Tong Kim

News highlights flash and commentaries flood over the problems of North Korea, which on Feb. 12 tested an advanced type of solid fueled, intermediate range ballistic missile from a mobile launch vehicle, harder to detect: the North is squarely suspected of masterminding the assassination of its leader Kim Jong-un’s older half-brother at the Kuala Lumpur airport.

On Feb. 20, China suspended all imports of coal from the economically struggling DPRK to punish its missile test in violation of multiple U.N. resolutions. Beijing’s relationship with Pyongyang has declined to the lowest ebb in a long time.

KCNA (Korean Central News Agency) on Feb 23 blasted China’s measure as “tantamount to the enemies' moves to bring down the socialist system in the DPRK.” It also complained about Beijing’s assessment of Pyongyang’s nuclear technology as only “at the beginning” and accused China of breaching the humanitarian provision of the U.N. resolutions that allows, “trade for the people’s living.”

A good relationship for decades between Malaysia and the DPRK has drastically soured over the death of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader. Malaysian police announced several North Korean nationals, including two suspected of hiding at the DPRK embassy, were involved in the assassination.

The North Korean ambassador at Kuala Lumpur and subsequently a legal committee in Pyongyang insisted that the unidentified person carrying a DPRK’s diplomatic passport died of a heart attack and demanded the custody of the body. They accused the Malaysian government of violating the 1961 Geneva Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Malaysia recalled its ambassador from Pyongyang, and its tourism minister called the DPRK a rogue state. Malaysia said it would turn over the dead person only to the next of kin after DNA identification. An autopsy was performed but it did not conclude the cause of death. Police said two Southeast Asian women sprayed or applied some kind of lethal poison to the victim’s face. Investigations are continuing.

The Seoul government has determined that the killing of Kim Jong-nam was a premeditated act of terror by Pyongyang. However, nobody has yet presented forensic evidence amid various theories for the motivation. Washington has been rather silent on this matter.

The Constitutional Court’s trial of the impeached President Park is likely to end before the acting chief justice retires on March 13. From all indications, President Park would likely be convicted and lose her presidency. She might even step down before the ruling. In either case, South Korea will have to elect a new president two months thereafter. More uncertainty for the future.

In Washington, President Trump reiterated on Feb. 16, “I don’t have to tell you what I am going to do in North Korea.” On Feb. 12 at Mar-a-Lago, Trump simply said he supports Japan 100%, after Japanese Prime Minister Abe denounced the DPRK’s latest missile launch. Trump did not comment on the missile test.

Earlier, Trump did say that the United States will deal with the North “very strongly,” but again without specifics and as vaguely as when he said, “It won’t happen” to Pyongyang’s warning that they were in the final phase of preparations to test an ICBM. It did not happen, but not because of a “red line” some had thought Trump had set.

There was no red line set for the North. One month into the administration, Trump’s national security team has barely started developing its own North Korea policy ― reliable assessments are available but viable options are limited. If the State Department issues visas to DPRK officials to attend a track 1.5 talk in New York, planned by the Committee on American Foreign Policy set for early March, it would give a positive signal to the North.

There are rhetorical lines in Trump’s statements that Pyongyang might appreciate. “America first” is not bad for the North, if it means isolationism and retrenchment from contested areas of the world. But, it is not turning out so.

On his inauguration, Trump said, “We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone.” On the election night, “We do not seek hostile relations with others.”These statements are good news to the North that has long feared that the U.S. might seek regime change as part of its goals for democracy and human rights. What’s your take?

Tong Kim is the Washington correspondent and a columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Korean-American Studies. He can be contacted at tong.kim8@yahoo.com.