ed Diplomatic negativism

Pyongyang has improved its relationship with Tokyo so rapidly as to force Washington to dissuade Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from visiting the reclusive state anytime soon. An unconfirmed report said a U.S. mission made a secret visit to the North last week to discuss issues of mutual concern.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong will attend the U.N. General Assembly this month, a first in nearly 15 years. Kang Sok-ju, secretary of the Workers’ Party orchestrating international relations, is visiting the EU to discuss establishing a North Korean representative office in Brussels. North Korea’s relations with Russia are also said to be their closest in recent years.

The North’s ``omnidirectional diplomacy” means Pyongyang has set about to diversify its diplomatic focus away from China, Pyongyang’s biggest ally that has recently come somewhat closer to South Korea.

What are South Korea’s responses, then? Unfortunately, there seems little Seoul can do to counter Pyongyang’s diplomatic offensive ― except to beg Washington and Tokyo for information on the North’s latest diplomatic moves.

In contrast to the North’s diplomatic diversification efforts, the South’s reliance on its biggest ally ― the United States ― appears to become even deeper.

Hwang Joon-kook, Seoul’s new point man for North Korea, is visiting Washington, and Kim Kwan-jin, head of the National Security Office, will also visit the U.S. capital soon. We hope these officials discuss measures with their U.S. counterparts on how to prevent any further enlargement and sophistication of the North’s nuclear arsenal through resuming multilateral talks as well as how to bring the isolationist regime out to the international community.

If the South Korea-U.S. talks focus on military issues, such as reported construction of a base for THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) missiles and delays in Seoul’s takeover of wartime operational command from Washington, South Korea’s already chilly relationship with North Korea will freeze. More ominously, Seoul’s eventual approval of establishing the U.S. missile defense system here will decisively threaten its hard-won amity with the nation’s largest trading partner and import market ― China.

That means even the only bright spot in President Park Geun-hye’s foreign policy ― improved relations with China ― will go up in smoke, leading to a diplomatic isolation of Seoul, whose relations with both Pyongyang and Tokyo are already at their lowest points in decades.

The government’s position on THAAD missiles has changed from opposition to ambivalence to tacit approval, indicating Seoul cannot help but accept Washington’s demand however negative its effects may be on Korea’s national interests.

President Park, who has ― or is thought to have ― regained part of her losses in domestic affairs from diplomacy, is in danger of failing in both internal and external policies.

The ongoing diplomatic games surrounding this peninsula reaffirms that there are no eternal friends or foes in the world of diplomacy. The President must know this hackneyed axiom, but she is not practicing it.