[Editorial] S. Korea, US need to bring N. Korea to negotiating table

We hope the South Korean government will make use of its diplomatic resources to move the situation on the Korean Peninsula toward dialogue

Then-acting US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Sung Kim (right) stands up as US President Joe Biden announces him as the US State Department’s new special representative for North Korea during a joint press conference at the South Korea-US summit at the White House on May 21. (Yonhap News)

South Korea and the US’ senior representatives on the North Korea nuclear issue are meeting in Seoul on Monday after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made the first official mention of the possibility of dialogue with the Biden administration. As North Korea stands at the crossroads of dialogue and confrontation, we hope that South Korea and the US will send a calibrated message that will bring Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

Sung Kim, the US special representative for North Korea, is currently visiting South Korea to explain the results of the US review of North Korea policy to figures from various areas. Kim will be meeting with Noh Kyu-duk, Seoul’s special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, on Monday and with South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young on Tuesday.

Depending on how the two sides follow up their summit last month and on what message the US sends to North Korea via Sung Kim, this could be a major step toward restarting the Korean Peninsula peace process.

While speaking about foreign policy, Kim Jong-un said that the North “should be prepared for both dialogue and confrontation” in a plenary session of the central committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea last week, shortly before Sung Kim arrived in South Korea.

That can be seen as Pyongyang’s first official response to the US announcement of the completion of its North Korea policy review at the end of April.

This is also notable since it’s the first time that Kim has personally mentioned dialogue since his policy speech in April 2019.

While this isn’t a definite signal that the North will engage in dialogue, Kim did mention the need to “maintain stability in Korean Peninsula affairs” without making any criticism of the US. In light of that, Kim’s remarks could indicate that he means to prioritize the economy and public livelihood while pursuing dialogue.

US President Joe Biden voiced “his support for inter-Korean dialogue, engagement, and cooperation” in the South Korea-US summit last month, while South Korean President Moon Jae-in recently mentioned cooperating with the North on COVID-19 vaccines.

South Korea and the US will reportedly discuss how to improve the two sides’ working group, which has been identified as an obstacle to improving inter-Korean relations, and how to handle their joint military exercises, which are scheduled for August.

It’s true that, given the continuing struggle to contain COVID-19, there’s skepticism about the feasibility of resuming North Korea-US talks in the near term.

But if the Biden administration proposes meaningful measures to move toward a diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear issue, rather than “strategic patience,” momentum could be created.

We hope the South Korean government will make use of its diplomatic resources to move the situation on the Korean Peninsula toward dialogue rather than tension. Creative steps are needed to ensure that the Korean Peninsula peace process doesn’t get caught up in a “new cold war” between the US and China.

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]