North Korea needs to show sincerity

By Alex Gratzek

A look at The Olympic Truce- past and present

As the Winter Olympic Games proceed, many Koreans are becoming euphoric at the spectacle of the two Koreas’ participating together as one. This led to hopes that the event will lead to inter-Korean talks, ultimately leading to a breakthrough in relations after decades of animosity.

However, a mere spectacle such as the Olympics is not sufficient grounds for such hopes, let alone any trip by President Moon Jae-in to Pyongyang for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Any talks of such a trip to North Korea should be put on hold. Pyongyang is using the symbolism of the Olympics and emotional appeal of a united Olympic team to make the case for a presidential visit and talks, when what is needed is a sincere effort on their part to lay the foundation for meaningful negotiations.

Many are holding great hopes for an easing of tension and for dialogue with North Korea because of the traditional Olympic truce. This truce dates back to the original Games.

During ancient times, a truce was established before and during the Games between the different Greek city-states in order to allow spectators and athletes to travel freely to the Games. However, a quick look at history shows that North Korea has not honored the spirit of the Olympics in the past and is not doing so in the present.

The last time South Korea held the Olympics, North Korea bombed a South Korean flight in 1987 killing all 115 people aboard. It is believed this was done in an attempt to tarnish the 1988 Summer Olympics by scaring off foreign athletes and spectators. No apology was ever issued.

For the 2018 Games, South Korea and the United States postponed their joint annual military exercises until the completion of both the Olympics and the Paralympics.

However, North Korea went ahead and hosted a large military parade showcasing 130,000 soldiers and its many missiles which it uses to terrorize its neighbors. It is surely no coincidence that this parade occurred on the same day as South Korean held a welcoming ceremony for foreign athletes, a day before the opening of the Olympics.

North Korea is using the Games for its own ends, not for the pursuit of meaningful dialogue with South Korea and by extension the rest of the world. Much has been made of the visit by Kim Yo-Jong, the sister of Kim Jong-un, who extended her brother’s invitation for President Moon to visit Pyongyang.

What is important to keep in mind is that this invitation was delivered by the director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department also known as Kim Yo-jong. The invitation is an attempt to cause an easing of sanctions that have steadily grown tighter by drawing South Korea into direct discussions.

If President Moon were to visit the North, it would be a North Korean propaganda victory domestically, amplifying its stature in the world while internationally it could serve to weaken the increasingly stringent sanctions.

Two former South Korean presidents visited Pyongyang in 2000 and in 2007 with no lasting improvement in relations, and nothing to show except broken promises for reciprocal visits to Seoul.

If North Korea were genuine in its desire for dialogue and visits, it would have postponed its military parade as a show of good faith as did the Americans and South Koreans with their military exercises.

Visits to and talks with North Korea are an admirable goal, but to let the North control the tempo of when and where these occur is a mistake, as it has consistently used them to gain concessions while returning nothing concrete, except for brief periods of feel-good times.

President Moon should refuse to visit North Korea, and substantive talks should not be held until the North makes a gesture of its sincerity. Fielding a unified team and sending cheerleaders is not such a gesture.

If North Korea refuses to make such a gesture, then it is quite evident this is yet another cynical ploy to take advantage of South Korea’s hope for eventual reunification, for its own gain. One often hears of insanity as doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different outcome. What makes this time any different?