By Andrew Salmon
Pre-Olympic inter-Korean relations are galloping ahead at a breakneck pace. No sooner had North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered a conciliatory message in his New Year's speech, than the Moon Jae-in administration responded. Squadrons of doves were unleashed over the DMZ; olive branches were thrust over the frontier.
The alacrity of Seoul's response was appropriate, given the urgency of the broader situation.
North Korea is a de facto nuclear power. It stands on the threshold of deploying a delivery system that could accurately target the continental U.S. Figures in the Donald Trump administration are publicly threatening to pre-empt the North Koreans. The day the Winter Paralympics end, allied military drills will re-commence. These exercises inflame North Korea, which responds with shrill bombast and sanctions-defying provocations.
The peninsula balances on a knife edge. The consequences of either side going off half-cocked are horrifying. So, the timing of this inter-Korean chin-wagging could not be more crucial.
For this reason ― and for the more prosaic, short-term reason of hosting an upbeat, peaceful Winter Olympics ― I stand behind Seoul's courtship of Pyongyang. If ― a very big "if" ― Moon convinces Kim's minions to commit to continued, substantive post-Olympic talks and Trump ― who has endorsed Moon's initiative thus far ― continues endorsing Moon, that will be tremendous.
But all this notwithstanding: Let us not allow the North Koreans to dominate the agenda, nor force their systems onto ours.
The International Olympic Committee is permitting them to bring 22 athletes to the Games, although only two qualified (and those two did not register). Seoul is permitting Pyongyang to import hundreds of hangers-on, has reserved a slot for their taekwondo team to participate in the opening ceremony, and allowed a range of artistic troupes to perform here. And the Northern and Southern athletes' delegations will march under the unified flag.
With Pyongyang shoveling its hard cash into weapons development, this will all be paid for by the IOC and South Korea. Still ― all well and good. This is the Olympics. But it is enough. Please, Seoul: no more.
Please, no more integrated teams: It is bad enough forcing Southern female hockey players to integrate with Northern athletes at the last moment. Please do not implore the media to self-censor its reporting. Please do not tell defectors to shut up. And is it really necessary to offer colonel-level North Korean propaganda officers the kind of escorts and resources usually reserved for visiting heads of state? Enough fawning, thank you.
Most certainly, do not ― as is being alleged ― lift any sanctions. And please remember that the best form of persuasion is to wield both carrot and stick, rather than one or the other.
A Seoul official has said that the North Korean team should be offered the goodwill and hospitality any visiting Olympic team should enjoy. Quite so. This is reasonable. And I confidently predict that all South Korean officials will treat their Northern visitors with respect and sensitivity.
But the vast majority of the North Koreans arriving for the Games are not athletes. In fact, they are members of the elite ― those with a vested interest in maintaining an odious regime.
Please, Seoul: Do not prioritize privileges extended to visiting athletes over the democratic rights of local citizens. These rights include freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the right to protest.
It is bad enough that North Korean officials behave like North Korean officials within the borders of their own oppressive, benighted state ― one of the worst abusers of human rights on earth. They should never be offered the opportunity to behave in that manner anywhere else ― let alone in South Korea, a nation North Korea has invaded, attacked, and continues to condemn and abuse.
The unique political sensitivities of North Koreans should never be a foremost priority. If some visiting North Koreans are exposed to the sights and sounds of South Korean citizens practicing their democratic rights ― so be it. That will provide them with an education in humane, rather than totalitarian governance. And perhaps it will offer them food for thought when they return home.
Andrew Salmon (andrewcsalmon@yahoo.co.uk) is a Seoul-based reporter and author.
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The alacrity of Seoul's response was appropriate, given the urgency of the broader situation.
North Korea is a de facto nuclear power. It stands on the threshold of deploying a delivery system that could accurately target the continental U.S. Figures in the Donald Trump administration are publicly threatening to pre-empt the North Koreans. The day the Winter Paralympics end, allied military drills will re-commence. These exercises inflame North Korea, which responds with shrill bombast and sanctions-defying provocations.
The peninsula balances on a knife edge. The consequences of either side going off half-cocked are horrifying. So, the timing of this inter-Korean chin-wagging could not be more crucial.
For this reason ― and for the more prosaic, short-term reason of hosting an upbeat, peaceful Winter Olympics ― I stand behind Seoul's courtship of Pyongyang. If ― a very big "if" ― Moon convinces Kim's minions to commit to continued, substantive post-Olympic talks and Trump ― who has endorsed Moon's initiative thus far ― continues endorsing Moon, that will be tremendous.
But all this notwithstanding: Let us not allow the North Koreans to dominate the agenda, nor force their systems onto ours.
The International Olympic Committee is permitting them to bring 22 athletes to the Games, although only two qualified (and those two did not register). Seoul is permitting Pyongyang to import hundreds of hangers-on, has reserved a slot for their taekwondo team to participate in the opening ceremony, and allowed a range of artistic troupes to perform here. And the Northern and Southern athletes' delegations will march under the unified flag.
With Pyongyang shoveling its hard cash into weapons development, this will all be paid for by the IOC and South Korea. Still ― all well and good. This is the Olympics. But it is enough. Please, Seoul: no more.
Please, no more integrated teams: It is bad enough forcing Southern female hockey players to integrate with Northern athletes at the last moment. Please do not implore the media to self-censor its reporting. Please do not tell defectors to shut up. And is it really necessary to offer colonel-level North Korean propaganda officers the kind of escorts and resources usually reserved for visiting heads of state? Enough fawning, thank you.
Most certainly, do not ― as is being alleged ― lift any sanctions. And please remember that the best form of persuasion is to wield both carrot and stick, rather than one or the other.
A Seoul official has said that the North Korean team should be offered the goodwill and hospitality any visiting Olympic team should enjoy. Quite so. This is reasonable. And I confidently predict that all South Korean officials will treat their Northern visitors with respect and sensitivity.
But the vast majority of the North Koreans arriving for the Games are not athletes. In fact, they are members of the elite ― those with a vested interest in maintaining an odious regime.
Please, Seoul: Do not prioritize privileges extended to visiting athletes over the democratic rights of local citizens. These rights include freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the right to protest.
It is bad enough that North Korean officials behave like North Korean officials within the borders of their own oppressive, benighted state ― one of the worst abusers of human rights on earth. They should never be offered the opportunity to behave in that manner anywhere else ― let alone in South Korea, a nation North Korea has invaded, attacked, and continues to condemn and abuse.
The unique political sensitivities of North Koreans should never be a foremost priority. If some visiting North Koreans are exposed to the sights and sounds of South Korean citizens practicing their democratic rights ― so be it. That will provide them with an education in humane, rather than totalitarian governance. And perhaps it will offer them food for thought when they return home.
Andrew Salmon (andrewcsalmon@yahoo.co.uk) is a Seoul-based reporter and author.
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