Don’t Let North Korea off the Hook

Secretary General Kim Jong-Il of North Korea visited Russia for the first time in nine years and there met with President Medvedev. Kim declared that preparations were underway to stop production and testing of missiles and nuclear warheads and that he will return without preconditions to the six-party talks focused on the North Korean nuclear problem.

The six-party talks that began late 2008 have been dormant for almost three years. For a time, North Korea had even gone so far as to withdraw from the talks. However, in recent times that has changed, and now they strongly desire to reopen talks in the near future. According to the international community, North Korea’s economy has suffered due to the sanctions, so North Korea is hoping to receive financial aid.

However, the U.S. Department of State has concluded that North Korea stopping nuclear testing is not enough. This is as expected. Even if North Korea listens to the council for a time, if the talks don’t go as North Korea wants them to, next time they could conceivably rescind their current “stop to testing” with a brilliant flash and ground shaking measures.

The U.S., Japan, and South Korea have created prerequisites to starting up the six-party talks again. They want North Korea to begin taking specific measures toward abandoning its nuclear program, such as stopping uranium enrichment and letting International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back in. If North Korea really wants to return to the six-party talks, it should show it by its actions.

At the leadership meeting between Russia and North Korea, they agreed to proceed with a natural gas pipeline that will go from Russia through North Korea into South Korea. North Korea will collect an import tax on the passage of gas. As a plan for promoting reform and openness, the plan has value. However, as long as there isn’t progress in resolving the nuclear problem or improving North and South Korea’s relationship, the plan will be hard to implement.

My fear is that Russia will softly compromise for a little increased influence and a little bit better relationship with North Korea. For example, Russia began sending 50,000 tons of food-aid to North Korea preceding Kim’s visit to Russia.

Russia and China are hopeful that six-party talks can soon begin again. On his way home from Russia Kim made a stop in China. There is a possibility that North Korea is trying to divide Russia and China from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea.

Of course it is not bad for participating countries to repeatedly talk to North Korea. What we must not forget though is that the reason for talking is to urge visible action from North Korea in abandoning its nuclear program. I want China, Russia, South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. not to let North Korea off the hook, but together to deal with this menace to Northeast Asia.