North Korean leader Kim Jong-un followed a familiar pattern when he sent a special envoy to China to express willingness to resume the stalled six-party talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Before the envoy’s visit, the young leader rattled his saber for months, defying international sanctions against the North’s missile launches and third nuclear test.
Following his father’s old playbook, he is now shifting to dialogue to get the sanctions lifted. Previously, this ploy worked. The North could get some aid in return for getting back to dialogue and easing tensions.
But not anymore. In response to Pyongyang’s latest overture for talks, Seoul has made it clear that it is not interested in talks for talks’ sake.
After consultation with Washington, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se reaffirmed on Monday that the six-party talks would not start without the North first showing clear signals that it would abandon nuclear weapons.
Seoul’s message is clear: The North should first demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization through deeds, not words. Yun noted that Pyongyang should first abide by international obligations and keep its own previous denuclearization pledges.
It was timely and appropriate for Seoul to clarify its stance on the North’s latest offer of talks. Following the North Korean envoy’s visit to China, expectations began to rise that the six-party talks might restart in the near future.
The expectations are not groundless, given that Beijing has long sought to restart the multilateral dialogue. Pyongyang’s shift to dialogue gives Beijing a good chance to push Seoul and Washington to sit for talks.
But rushing to the negotiation table without first confirming the North’s true intentions would be playing into its hands. This is the lesson that Seoul and Washington have learned through their failed previous attempts to rein in the rogue regime.
As Yun noted, the North Korean state news agency made no mention of its participation in the six-party talks when it reported last weekend the envoy’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
This raises questions about whether the North is really willing to rejoin the multilateral dialogue.
Under these circumstances, China should continue to put the squeeze on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons. In his summit with U.S. President Barack Obama in June, Xi should focus on how to jointly push Pyongyang toward denuclearization.
He can expect full cooperation from President Park Geun-hye, whom he will also meet in late June. The time is ripe for a joint push for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula from Seoul, Washington and Beijing.
