Seoul tells NK to act prudently

Following a New Years overture by North Korea to improve cross-border relations, senior Seoul officials Wednesday urged Pyongyang to take a constructive path if it wants to alleviate tension.

The remarks pointed at lingering concerns that the North could continue to act provocatively through further testing of nuclear weapons technology. However, with President-elect Park Geun-hye set to take power next month, they amounted to policy recommendations for the incoming administration.

On Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in the country’s first New Year’s address since 1994, said both Koreas should “remove confrontation” and reaffirm a commitment to past inter-Korean agreements. Analysts called it a sign that Pyongyang could seek to ease its isolation as Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo introduce new leaderships.

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said the South “should put our diplomatic focus this year on helping North Korea make wise and right decisions by continuing policy coordination with our neighboring countries.” Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik said there was nothing “special” about the content of the North Korean leader’s address.
Seoul and Washington are currently pushing to sanction Pyongyang at the U.N. Security Council for its Dec. 12 long range rocket launch, widely viewed as a missile test.

However, Kim’s speech was viewed with interest by analysts because it appeared to further test his neighbors’ appetite to engage. The overture to the South was seen as a nod to the United States as well, as Washington wants Pyongyang to reduce tensions on the peninsula.

Moreover, Japanese media reported that the North used communication lines into Tokyo to gauge the interest of new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regarding rekindling talks halted after the launch.

But commercial satellite imagery following the launch has shown the Kim regime maintaining a state of readiness for a possible third nuclear test. Analysts say a test could achieve a significant yield that would confirm it has mastered some aspects of nuclear weapons. It has also said it will continue to pursue its “satellite” launches.
Park has yet to comment on Kim’s speech, but aides have said she is taking a wait-and-see approach.

Meanwhile, the North this week has widely reported on celebrations for the New Year. Analysts say the festive atmosphere may well have marked the end of a mourning period for late dictator Kim Jong-il and a milestone for the new leader.

Kim, thought to turn 30 next week, emphasized in his speech the need for economic development, saying the country should use the successful launch as motivation. The linkage, watchers say, suggests Pyongyang will continue to emphasize its technology sector as an engine for recovery.

Country founder Kim Il-sung’s death in 1994 was followed by three years of mourning reflecting the accelerated pace of the power transfer to Kim Jong-un following Kim Jong-il’s death in Dec. 2011. <The Korea Times/Kim Young-jin>