North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared to have gone beyond Seoul’s expectations when he responded to an earlier offer of dialogue from the South in his New Year address Thursday. Seemingly alluding to the possibility of summit talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Kim said there was no reason not to hold the high-level meeting, depending on the atmosphere and circumstances to be forged between the two Koreas.
Hours after Kim’s speech, Seoul’s Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae came forward to say that the North Korean ruler’s remarks were meaningful, hoping that inter-Korean dialogue would be resumed soon regardless of its form.
Early this week, the South’s presidential panel tasked with preparing for the reunification of the nation proposed holding minister-level talks with the North in January to discuss pending issues, including the reunions of families separated during the 1950-53 Korean War. This proposal was interpreted as reflecting Park’s eagerness to improve inter-Korean ties in the third year of her five-year term.
Kim’s remarks might indicate that Pyongyang also feels the need to set a more positive tone for dealing with Seoul. With Kim having apparently consolidated his grip on power since he took over following his father’s death in December 2011, his impoverished regime has grown further isolated from the international community.
The North has recently turned to Russia to look for a breakthrough in its isolation, deepened by its adherence to nuclear programs and dire human rights record. But Moscow needs trilateral cooperation with the two Koreas to secure economic and geopolitical interests on the peninsula.
Park and Kim may meet in Moscow in May if both of them accept an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend a ceremony marking the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
It seems that the momentum is building toward reactivating inter-Korean dialogue this year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the division of the peninsula following its liberation from Japan’s 35-year colonial rule. How far the two sides would go might hinge on whether they could meet halfway on conditions for carrying forward their talks.
Kim’s speech suggested the South should suspend joint military drills with the U.S. and lift the blanket sanctions imposed on the North in 2010 in retaliation for its deadly naval attack, if a third inter-Korean summit is to be held. For her part, Park would find it difficult to sit with Kim without Pyongyang taking responsible measures regarding the sinking of the Cheonan and showing sincerity toward its denuclearization. The North Korean ruler’s speech is seriously testing how the Park administration will move ahead with inter-Korean dialogue through what can be called principled flexibility.
