By Park Yoon-bae
The high-level North Korean delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics returned home, leaving behind both expectations and concerns about a proposed third inter-Korean summit.
Now the ball is in the North's court as President Moon Jae-in called on Pyongyang to resume dialogue with Washington in response to Kim Jong-un's invitation for Moon to visit the reclusive country for a summit meeting. Kim's sister Kim Yo-jong, who visited the South for the Olympics, delivered the invitation to the President last Saturday.
It is almost impossible for any South Korean president to turn down such an invitation. It is all the more so for Moon, an advocate of active engagement with the North. He might have thought the time has come to seize a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go to Pyongyang and shake hands with Kim Jong-un. What an irresistible idea!
But President Moon had to suppress his delight about the offer. Why? Because he has to relieve the U.S. administration of its worries that a rapid inter-Korean thaw might loosen the Seoul-Washington alliance and weaken international sanctions against the North. So it was very natural for him to accept the invitation on condition of the North's direct dialogue with America.
I believe the President was shrewd and cautious not to displease both Pyongyang and Washington. His reaction gave the impression he might have been tipped off about what Kim Yo-jong would do on behalf of her brother. Yet, it is hard to confirm if the two sides had held behind-the-scenes negotiations to dramatize her visit to the South and maximize the effects of the North's charm offensive.
Whatever the case, Kim Jong-un appeared to have achieved what he wanted to do by having a sudden change of heart and waving the olive branch toward the South. The conciliatory gesture began with his New Year speech. He stated the North was ready to have a dialogue with the South to discuss how to send Northern athletes to the Olympics.
On Jan. 9, the South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and other officials met with North Korean delegates led by Ri Son-gwon at the truce village of Panmunjeom. And they agreed on the North's participation in the Games. Since then, the two sides moved rapidly toward detente and opened the way for a thaw in bilateral ties which were frozen by the North's nuclear tests and missile launches.
Now, the Seoul government needs to wait for what Pyongyang will do in the next step for its peace offensive. It is necessary to keep the momentum going for inter-Korean rapprochement. At the same time the South must step up cooperation with the U.S. to achieve the common goal of denuclearizing the North. For this, the two allies should work together to apply maximum pressure and sanctions on the Kim regime, while reviving the stalled talks for the North's denuclearization.
It is good to see the Trump administration, which has recently taken a hard-line stance against Pyongyang, hinting at having a dialogue with the Kim regime. In this situation, President Moon should play a more active role in mediating between the North and the U.S. so the two foes can bury the hatchet and negotiate a solution to the nuclear standoff.
Most of all, Kim Jong-un ought to show sincerity in improving ties with the South and settling peace on the peninsula. He needs to recognize he is holding the key to solving the nuclear issue. Undoubtedly, he cannot move toward peace, coexistence and co-prosperity without giving up his nuclear ambitions.
Regrettably, however, Kim has yet to talk about denuclearization. If he is not willing to scrap all his nuclear weapons once and for all, he may declare a nuclear moratorium to resume dialogue with the U.S. He should reassure the U.S. he is ready to take meaningful steps toward denuclearization.
But if he is only engrossed in promoting inter-Korean reconciliation without committing to denuclearization, he cannot make any further progress in his charm offensive. The Trump administration is casting doubt on whether his peace overture is genuine or not. Many U.S. officials, be they hawks or doves, are asking: What is his real intention? Some hard-liners have called for military action against the North, including a "bloody nose" strike to destroy nuclear arsenals and ICBMs.
If the North is only interested in avoiding such military action from the U.S. and making a hole in international sanctions, its peace offensive will go nowhere. The isolated state seems to be eager to see a replay of the two previous inter-Korean summits in 2000 and 2007 both in Pyongyang. But the Kim regime will get nothing from a third summit as long as it is obsessed with becoming a nuclear state. It is up to Kim to decide which way to go: peace or self-destruction.
Park Yoon-bae (byb@ktimes.com) is the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times.
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Now the ball is in the North's court as President Moon Jae-in called on Pyongyang to resume dialogue with Washington in response to Kim Jong-un's invitation for Moon to visit the reclusive country for a summit meeting. Kim's sister Kim Yo-jong, who visited the South for the Olympics, delivered the invitation to the President last Saturday.
It is almost impossible for any South Korean president to turn down such an invitation. It is all the more so for Moon, an advocate of active engagement with the North. He might have thought the time has come to seize a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go to Pyongyang and shake hands with Kim Jong-un. What an irresistible idea!
But President Moon had to suppress his delight about the offer. Why? Because he has to relieve the U.S. administration of its worries that a rapid inter-Korean thaw might loosen the Seoul-Washington alliance and weaken international sanctions against the North. So it was very natural for him to accept the invitation on condition of the North's direct dialogue with America.
I believe the President was shrewd and cautious not to displease both Pyongyang and Washington. His reaction gave the impression he might have been tipped off about what Kim Yo-jong would do on behalf of her brother. Yet, it is hard to confirm if the two sides had held behind-the-scenes negotiations to dramatize her visit to the South and maximize the effects of the North's charm offensive.
Whatever the case, Kim Jong-un appeared to have achieved what he wanted to do by having a sudden change of heart and waving the olive branch toward the South. The conciliatory gesture began with his New Year speech. He stated the North was ready to have a dialogue with the South to discuss how to send Northern athletes to the Olympics.
On Jan. 9, the South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and other officials met with North Korean delegates led by Ri Son-gwon at the truce village of Panmunjeom. And they agreed on the North's participation in the Games. Since then, the two sides moved rapidly toward detente and opened the way for a thaw in bilateral ties which were frozen by the North's nuclear tests and missile launches.
Now, the Seoul government needs to wait for what Pyongyang will do in the next step for its peace offensive. It is necessary to keep the momentum going for inter-Korean rapprochement. At the same time the South must step up cooperation with the U.S. to achieve the common goal of denuclearizing the North. For this, the two allies should work together to apply maximum pressure and sanctions on the Kim regime, while reviving the stalled talks for the North's denuclearization.
It is good to see the Trump administration, which has recently taken a hard-line stance against Pyongyang, hinting at having a dialogue with the Kim regime. In this situation, President Moon should play a more active role in mediating between the North and the U.S. so the two foes can bury the hatchet and negotiate a solution to the nuclear standoff.
Most of all, Kim Jong-un ought to show sincerity in improving ties with the South and settling peace on the peninsula. He needs to recognize he is holding the key to solving the nuclear issue. Undoubtedly, he cannot move toward peace, coexistence and co-prosperity without giving up his nuclear ambitions.
Regrettably, however, Kim has yet to talk about denuclearization. If he is not willing to scrap all his nuclear weapons once and for all, he may declare a nuclear moratorium to resume dialogue with the U.S. He should reassure the U.S. he is ready to take meaningful steps toward denuclearization.
But if he is only engrossed in promoting inter-Korean reconciliation without committing to denuclearization, he cannot make any further progress in his charm offensive. The Trump administration is casting doubt on whether his peace overture is genuine or not. Many U.S. officials, be they hawks or doves, are asking: What is his real intention? Some hard-liners have called for military action against the North, including a "bloody nose" strike to destroy nuclear arsenals and ICBMs.
If the North is only interested in avoiding such military action from the U.S. and making a hole in international sanctions, its peace offensive will go nowhere. The isolated state seems to be eager to see a replay of the two previous inter-Korean summits in 2000 and 2007 both in Pyongyang. But the Kim regime will get nothing from a third summit as long as it is obsessed with becoming a nuclear state. It is up to Kim to decide which way to go: peace or self-destruction.
Park Yoon-bae (byb@ktimes.com) is the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times.
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