But Washington appears to lose patience over Pyongyang
By Yi Whan-woo
The United States has reaffirmed its willingness to hold dialogue with North Korea to defuse tensions arising from Pyongyang's second test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
But Washington also appears to be running out of patience fast as the North shows few signs of giving up its nuclear and missile programs, according to analysts Wednesday.
During a press briefing in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson renewed his call for possible talks with North Korea, saying the U.S. does not seek regime change in the North.
His remarks were contrary to the hard-line stance of several American experts who said the U.S. should seek regime change as an option to resolve the North Korea nuclear and missile issues because all other options have failed.
"We're trying to convey to the North Koreans we are not your enemy, we are not your threat, but you are presenting an unacceptable threat to us, and we have to respond," Tillerson said.
"And we hope that at some point, they will begin to understand that, and that we would like to sit and have a dialogue with them about the future that will give them the security they seek and future economic prosperity for North Korea," he added.
His remarks seem to be in line with the policy of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has proposed a set of peace overtures and stressed the need for dialogue despite Pyongyang's continuous missile provocations.
"But at the same time, it should be interpreted that Tillerson offered to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis peacefully for the last time," Park added.
But he also said the chances for talks with North Korea may increasingly diminish and so the U.S. may opt for a regime change, pre-emptive strike or other hostile actions against the Kim Jong-un regime unless Pyongyang stops its nuclear and missile tests.
This is in line with a message from U.S. President Donald Trump who said Washington may choose to strike Pyongyang if it clings to the nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
In an NBC interview Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) quoted Trump as saying that he is prepared to strike North Korea if it continues to aim ICBMs at the U.S.
"There is a military option to destroy North Korea's program and North Korea itself," Graham said while talking about how to prevent North Korean leader Kim Jong-un from taking an increasingly offensive posture.
"If there's going to be a war to stop him, it will be over there. If thousands die, they're going to die over there, they're not going to die here and he (Trump) told me that to my face."
Regarding the two contradictory remarks by Tillerson and Trump, Shin In-kyun, president of the Korea Defense Network, echoed a similar view to Park.
"The U.S. warned North Korea to return to the negotiation table at once or it may strike the regime," he said. "The Trump administration appears to be running out of patience with the Kim regime."
Koh You-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, speculated that the U.S. is "waiting for the right time" to use military force against North Korea.
"I don't think Trump and Tillerson were out of sync regarding their messages. We've seen Trump and his officials sending out confusing signals as a diplomatic strategy, and they must have uttered their words under a carefully-built scenario this time," he said.
By Yi Whan-woo
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| Rex Tillerson |
But Washington also appears to be running out of patience fast as the North shows few signs of giving up its nuclear and missile programs, according to analysts Wednesday.
During a press briefing in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson renewed his call for possible talks with North Korea, saying the U.S. does not seek regime change in the North.
His remarks were contrary to the hard-line stance of several American experts who said the U.S. should seek regime change as an option to resolve the North Korea nuclear and missile issues because all other options have failed.
"We're trying to convey to the North Koreans we are not your enemy, we are not your threat, but you are presenting an unacceptable threat to us, and we have to respond," Tillerson said.
"And we hope that at some point, they will begin to understand that, and that we would like to sit and have a dialogue with them about the future that will give them the security they seek and future economic prosperity for North Korea," he added.
His remarks seem to be in line with the policy of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has proposed a set of peace overtures and stressed the need for dialogue despite Pyongyang's continuous missile provocations.
"I think Tillerson, as the top U.S. diplomat, reaffirmed Washington's policy of maximum pressure and engagement amid concerns that it will opt out of dialogue with Pyongyang," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University.
.jpg/dims/resize/112/optimize)
"But at the same time, it should be interpreted that Tillerson offered to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis peacefully for the last time," Park added.
But he also said the chances for talks with North Korea may increasingly diminish and so the U.S. may opt for a regime change, pre-emptive strike or other hostile actions against the Kim Jong-un regime unless Pyongyang stops its nuclear and missile tests.
This is in line with a message from U.S. President Donald Trump who said Washington may choose to strike Pyongyang if it clings to the nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
In an NBC interview Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) quoted Trump as saying that he is prepared to strike North Korea if it continues to aim ICBMs at the U.S.
"There is a military option to destroy North Korea's program and North Korea itself," Graham said while talking about how to prevent North Korean leader Kim Jong-un from taking an increasingly offensive posture.
"If there's going to be a war to stop him, it will be over there. If thousands die, they're going to die over there, they're not going to die here and he (Trump) told me that to my face."
Regarding the two contradictory remarks by Tillerson and Trump, Shin In-kyun, president of the Korea Defense Network, echoed a similar view to Park.
"The U.S. warned North Korea to return to the negotiation table at once or it may strike the regime," he said. "The Trump administration appears to be running out of patience with the Kim regime."
Koh You-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, speculated that the U.S. is "waiting for the right time" to use military force against North Korea.
"I don't think Trump and Tillerson were out of sync regarding their messages. We've seen Trump and his officials sending out confusing signals as a diplomatic strategy, and they must have uttered their words under a carefully-built scenario this time," he said.
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