Hope for new round of talks

As the Winter Olympic Games begin to recede into history, the realities and difficulties of inter-Korean relations have returned as the forefront news story of the Korean Peninsula.

Notwithstanding the successful mini-thaw in relations, the difficult part is ensuring its continuation as the intoxication from the united Korean Olympic team fades and reality returns.

With recent developments, it appears as if serious negotiations concerning the North’s nuclear program will come to fruition.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has dropped his bellicosity and threats of missile launches issued in response to the joint South Korean-American military exercises at the end of the Olympics, and Kim has expressed an understanding of the need for them.

Perhaps it is understood his lack of reciprocal gestures concerning the North’s military parade on the eve of the Olympics didn’t give North Korea a leg to stand on, when it came to calling for the cancellation of the already postponed military exercises. His reasonable response is hopefully a sign North Korea will be serious in the negotiations to come.

If North Korea wishes for the exercises to be canceled, it should request that while following through with a gesture instead of issuing threats. Such actions would be a basis for the cancellation of such exercises; threats are not.

There is no shortage of gestures that come to mind. The North could apologize for its many transgressions against South Korea ranging from the death of a South Korea civilian at the Mount Geumgang Resort in 2008, to the sinking of the Cheonan, the artillery bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island in 2010 or for cheating on the 1994 Agreed Framework deal. Any of these actions would be the least North Korea could do, as words come cheap.

However, action speaks louder than words. If North Korea wishes to make a sincere gesture in order to forestall the scheduled drills, it could allow in the IAEA to inspect its nuclear sites and other infrastructure, or stop propagandizing as a victory any envoys who visit, as was done with the most recent envoys sent by President Moon Jae-in. Such actions might sway the minds of even the most skeptical North Korean observers.

North Korea has stated it will refrain from missile and nuclear tests as long as talks are forthcoming. It is a sad state of affairs when “good behavior” for North Korea is not threatening its neighbors, which is considered normal behavior in most of the rest of the world.

Despite the positive developments, feelings of euphoria should be kept in check. After all, negotiations have been ongoing with the North for nearly three decades and every time a deal has been reached, the North has cheated or broken it.

The 1994 framework unraveled in 2002 when it became apparent the North had been carrying on with an illicit nuclear research program, and the 2012 Leap Day Agreement unraveled within a month due to the continuation of missile tests it prohibited.

What is important to remember is this new round of talks has had its pace and tempo controlled by North Korea. The most recent round of activity came from Kim Jong-un’s New Year speech.

No serious attempts at talks were held with either former Presidents Lee Myung-bak or Park Geun-hye. It is not inconceivable to think of the North as attempting to take advantage of President Moon’s desire for talks in a bid to draw South Korea away from the U.S. by portraying itself as a reasonable party seeking negotiation, while President Donald Trump comes across as a blowhard.

As negotiations are entered, it is imperative to make no concessions until North Korea has made its own. In this way, it can be determined if the North is genuine in its desire for improved relations, or if it is another attempt at easing the most stringent of sanctions it faces.

For too long, concessions have been going down a one-way street to the benefit of North Korea. Too often these are given and the North Korea uses these feel-good times to ease sanctions for its own advantage, while the status quo in relations remains the same.

The end result is the temporary easing of sanctions while in the long run the stage is set for a new round of sanctions when Pyongyang inevitably starts to act up again.

As an English teacher, I teach my students English conversations are like table tennis. One can’t talk alone just as one can’t play alone.

The ball is on North Korea’s side of the table; what happens next is up to it. So far concessions have only gone one way. It’s up to North Korea to return the ball to the South Korean-American side of the table in order to lay the groundwork for serious dialogue aimed at improving relations.

Any presidential visit or envoy sent to Pyongyang needs to be earned, not given. Any threats or attempts at blackmail should be cause for the termination of negotiations. When one deals with a petulant child, one does not give in to the child’s demands.

By giving in, it lets the child know its bad behavior will always result in the outcome it desires. The same goes for the nation child that is North Korea. That said, this author hopes the newest round of discussions will bear fruit.