North Korea is responding to the South Korean government’s overtures to engage in talks with a continuing verbal offensive. When the Kim Jong Eun administration took over, the government of President Lee Myung Bak said it would ‘leave open the window of opportunity for talks\u2019, yet North Korea has responded with personal attacks on both President Lee and Unification Minister Yu Woo Ik.<\/p>\n
On January 12th, the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said that \u201cLee Myung Bak and his gang of traitors have driven inter-Korean relations to collapse with their confrontational policies opposing unification.\u201d Then on January 13th, Rodong Shinmun described Yu as a \u2018confrontational zealot\u2019.<\/p>\n
When Kim took over there were a number of people within the South Korean government who believed that the North would soon approach the negotiating table, but these people have been left disappointed by the ever-increasing bellicosity from Pyongyang. As one government insider put it, \u201cThere is no reason to respond to each and every one of North Korea\u2019s criticisms, but it is not helping the current situation at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the source said the atmosphere is one of \u2018half expectation, half concern\u2019, there are growing voices inside the government wondering whether the idea of talks this year is already out of reach.<\/p>\n
For minister Yu, who has lobbied unfailingly for a policy of flexibility in the face of North Korean disparagement since taking his post in September last year, the absence of progress in inter-Korean relations is even said to have led to health troubles which have resulted in the cancellation of his official schedule.<\/p>\n
As one source from the Blue House told Daily NK on January 31st, \u201cTo be honest, since North Korea has always conducted itself unpredictably there is no way of knowing when they will decide to enter talks. There have hitherto been no response from North Korea, but teh government is monitoring their actions closely.\u201d<\/p>\n
An official from the Ministry of Unification added that the mood in the government is one of \u201cwaiting in the expectation that North Korea will eventually take up talks, but knowing that this will take a certain amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The anticipation within the government that North Korea will come to the negotiating table has not changed. To a great extent, this is due to the belief that Pyongyang cannot easily abandon the benefits it would gain from progress in inter-Korean relations, from immediate aid through to the potential benefits it might accrue from seperated family reunions and trade.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, it has been pointed out that the Lee government has no obvious levers to pull which might to draw North Korea to the negotiating table anyway. As such, talk of establishing channels of communication is dismissed as empty words. Equally, there is the view that without fundamental change in North Korea, restarting talks wouldn’t make any difference to the situation.<\/p>\n
Besides which, seasoned North Korea watchers widely anticipate the new North Korean regime continuing to use a hard-line approach to gain the upper hand in inter-Korean relations. <\/p>\n
Professor Kim Yeon Soo of National Defense University said he is one who sees logic in North Korea\u2019s uncooperative stance, explaining, \u201cNorth Korea will continue to employ its hard-line stance towards the South for the time being so as to generate unity following the death of Kim Jong Il. In particular, they will continue to condemn the South Korean government, particularly regarding the way it handled the condolence issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, some officials and analysts are hopeful that there might be a window of opportunity for discussion opening up in the middle of April, as important political events on the North Korean calendar wind up.<\/p>\n
Professor Kim agreed, saying that \u201cThere is a chance that this offensive by North Korea will change in April with the Day of the Sun (Kim Il Sung\u2019s birthday, on April 15th). It is possible that we will see a new turning point in inter-Korean relations as North Korea works on improving foreign ties, knowing that economic aid is directly related to the stability of the Kim Jong Eun system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another government insider added to the theme, saying that the government \u201cexpects North Korea to come in search of dialogue ahead of Kim Il Sung\u2019s birthday on April 15th, looking for foreign aid and diplomatic results to stabilize the new Kim government.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
North Korea is responding to the South Korean government’s overtures to engage in talks with a continuing verbal offensive. When the Kim Jong Eun administration took over, the government of President Lee Myung Bak said it would ‘leave open the window of opportunity for talks\u2019, yet North Korea has responded with personal attacks on both […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":18225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\n