International Cooperation Is Underscored as US and China Squeeze North Korea’s Purse

Published in SE Daily
(South Korea) on 5 May 2017
by Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Myung Jeon. Edited by Rachel Pott.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved tough legislation on May 4 to increase sanctions against North Korea by cutting off the recalcitrant regime’s sources of cash. The bipartisan bill includes wide-ranging measures to block crude oil exports to the North (which are, in fact, the regime’s economic lifeline), to prohibit the use of any slave labor that North Korea exports to other countries, and to ban online commercial activities with the country. The legislation is much tougher than the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 and the United Nations Security Council resolutions, which indicates that Congress is taking the North’s nuclear and missile provocations seriously.

It is worth noting that China is actively engaging with the U.S. to put pressure on Pyongyang. Beijing, which has recently expressed doubts through its state news media about the validity of the Sino-North Korean Mutual Aid and Cooperation Friendship Treaty, reportedly instructed its financial institutions to not conduct any transactions with the North. It appears the cooperation between the U.S. and China in dealing with the rogue regime began in earnest after the April 6 U.S.-China presidential summit. Seoul, too, has responded to the North’s nuclear and missile provocations in cooperation with Washington; in this context, it approved the deployment of a missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, sparking fierce controversy.

Given that situation, the posture of the new South Korean administration, which will take office on May 10, might pose a problem. Exploiting President Donald Trump’s statement that he wants the South to pay for the missile defense system, some presidential candidates mentioned the need for parliamentary ratification of the THAAD deployment, with a hint that they may overturn the installation decision, making South Korean citizens uneasy. However, the task at hand is to enforce the original arrangement between the two allies to share the cost of deployment, not to start from square one and reconsider whether to install the missile defense system.

If the new government attempts to disregard the U.S.-South Korea alliance and push for a different approach, it is highly likely that “Korea passing” – the idea that Washington and Beijing will handle the North Korea problem without consulting the South – will become a reality. Two international strongmen, President Trump and Chinese President Xi, have so far made numerous comments that focus on putting their national interests first in all areas, including security and trade. If the South disengages from trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and China in pressuring the North because of the circumstances of the two nations’ foreign policy platforms, the prevention of “Korea passing” might not be guaranteed and, in turn, a serious threat will be posed to South Korea’s security. Therefore, the next administration should actively engage in the long-awaited trilateral cooperation to rein in the reclusive regime’s nuclear provocations, as it is the only way to resolve the North Korea problem and maintain national security.


[사설] 北돈줄 바짝 죄는 미중, 중요해진 새 정부 국제 공조
2017-05-05 17:38:32사설
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미국 하원이 4일(현지시간) 북한 김정은 정권의 모든 자금줄을 차단하는 초강력 대북제재법을 통과시켰다. 공화·민주당이 공동 발의한 이 법안은 북한 경제의 젖줄인 원유 수입을 봉쇄하는 것을 비롯해 노동자의 해외고용 금지, 북한의 온라인상품 거래 차단 등 전방위 제재 방안을 담고 있다. 이는 현행 대북제재이행강화법이나 유엔 안전보장이사회 결의보다 훨씬 강력한 조치다. 그만큼 미 의회가 북한의 핵·미사일 도발을 심각하게 생각하고 있다는 뜻이다.

여기서 주목해야 할 점은 중국도 미국의 대북 압박에 적극적으로 동참하고 있다는 것이다. 중국은 관영매체를 내세워 북중 상호원조조약 폐기를 거론한 데 이어 중국의 모든 금융기관에 대북 거래를 중단하도록 지시한 것으로 알려졌다. 지난달 미국에서 열린 도널드 트럼프 미국 대통령과 시진핑 중국 국가주석 간의 정상회담 이후 양국 공조가 본격화되는 모양새다.

우리 정부도 그동안 미국과의 공조로 북한 핵·미사일 도발에 대응해왔다. 논란이 거셌던 고고도미사일방어체계(THAAD·사드) 배치를 수용한 것도 이런 차원이다. 문제는 10일 출범하는 우리나라 새 정부의 태도다. 일부 대선주자들은 트럼프 미 대통령의 사드 운영비용 언급을 계기로 사드 배치의 국회 비준 운운하면서 기존 정책을 뒤집는 듯한 발언을 해 국민을 불안하게 했다. 사드 비용 부담은 이미 한미가 합의한 대로 이행을 강조할 일이지 배치 여부를 원점에서 재검토할 문제는 아니다. 만일 새로 들어서는 정부가 사드를 비롯해 기존 한미 공조의 틀에서 벗어나려고 하면 이는 한국이 배제된 채 한반도 문제가 처리되는 이른바 ‘코리아 패싱(Korea Passing)’으로 연결될 가능성이 높다. 그동안 두 스트롱맨인 트럼프와 시진핑은 안보와 통상 등 모든 영역에서 자국 이익만을 우선시하는 발언을 쏟아내왔다. 이런 상황에 우리가 미중 공조에서 이탈하는 모양새를 보이면 코리아 패싱이 일어나지 않는다고 장담할 수 없다. 그렇게 되면 우리 안보도 심각한 위협을 받게 된다. 그런 면에서 새 정부는 북핵 도발과 관련해 모처럼 조성된 국제적인 공조 국면에 적극 동참해야 한다. 이것만이 북한 핵 문제를 해결하고 우리 안보도 지키는 길이다.
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