U.S. President Barack Obama made an interesting, rather undiplomatic, remark Wednesday about the other member of the G2 ― China.
Appearing on an interview with ABC TV, Obama hinted that China’s attitude toward North Korea has changed, and Beijing will “recalculate” its stance on the renegade country now that Xi Zinping is president.
It is not certain whether the U.S. leader’s comment reflects his wishful thinking or there has been a consensus of sorts between the two superpowers. But one can’t help suspect a strategic dialogue about the Korean Peninsula may be under way within the G2.
What’s regrettable in any case is Washington still seems to unduly rely on Beijing for a solution to the North Korea nuclear problem. It is well known that one of the biggest diplomatic failures in Obama’s first term was North Korea by leaving the handle to his hard-line counterpart in Seoul, former President Lee Myung-bak.
If the U.S. leader is about to “outsource” his diplomacy on this divided peninsula to China, he is not just irresponsible but unwise. Touching on North Korea, President Obama made it clear any engagement could only come after evidence of “responsible behavior” from Pyongyang. “One thing we’ve tried to do is to make sure that we’re not going to reward bad behavior,” he added.
That Obama did not completely shut the door for dialogue by suggesting the U.S. would reciprocate to North Korea’s trust-building measures, such as the cessation of nuclear and missile tests, comes as cold comfort for most Koreans, who are well aware it would be basically the same precondition, at least from the standpoint of Pyongyang. Still, the Seoul government has few other choices but to grab the delicate change in the U.S. stance and move forward.
President Park Geun-hye was right in this regard to reaffirm her resolve, in a March 1 speech, to keep the “trust-building process” on between the two Koreas, while maintaining a perfect defense posture against possible provocations by the communist state.
So was her first unification minister, who said in his confirmation hearing that Seoul is willing to provide humanitarian aid and respect inter-Korean agreements made at two summits, and will not be overly engrossed in current confrontation with a shortsighted and narrow-minded view.
Hawks on Korea issue, in Seoul or Washington, say both engagement and sanctions have failed to keep Pyongyang from building a nuclear arsenal and the only remaining option is action. We beg to differ.
There can’t be too many ifs in history. But if two leaders had not been elected across the Pacific ― former Presidents George W. Bush and Lee Myung-bak ― the situation on the Korean Peninsula could have developed completely differently by now. President Park should try to bring the situation back to five years ago in Korea, and to 13 years ago in America by persuading her U.S. counterpart.
There will of course be clear limitations to what Park and Seoul can do in moving the two superpowers to suit this country’s interests. But the nation’s first woman leader must try her best if she is to keep her pledge of “dissolving tension and laying the foundation for national unification.”
More than a century ago, Korea put its own fate in other countries’ interests and their balance of power. The nation is still small compared with surrounding powers, but that should be no reason for watching others determine the destiny and survival of 80 million Koreans.
President Park must put her all into this task. We hope she will fulfill her mission and be not just a successful but historic leader.