(EDITORIAL from The Korea Times on Oct. 17)

Playing hardball: North urged to return to dialog with South

It is regrettable that North Korea has continued to refuse to budge an inch to
mend strained ties with South Korea. The South had hoped that the removal of the
North from the U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism and Pyongyang's
resumption of the disablement of its nuclear facilities would have had a positive
effect on inter-Korean relations. However, the North has continued to play
hardball to increase tensions with the South.
On Thursday, the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the North's ruling Workers'
Party, ran a commentary harshly attacking South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
for what was described as his anti-North Korea policy. It said Pyongyang was
considering making a crucial decision to cut off all inter-Korean ties unless the
conservative Seoul government withdraws its "hostile policy" toward the North.
The tirade is the strongest since the North launched its offensives against the
Lee administration in April. It comes five days after the United States took
North Korea off its list of terrorism-sponsoring countries. In turn, Pyongyang
has restarted disabling its nuclear facilities. Some analysts have guarded
optimism that the U.S. move may lead to diplomatic normalization between
Washington and Pyongyang if the North makes good on its denuclearization
commitments.
However, the world's last Stalinist state is apparently trying again to sideline
South Korea, while having direct talks with the United States. Especially, the
strongly-worded commentary comes just two weeks after the North held
colonel-level military talks with the South. During the talks, Pyongyang raised
the issue of "propaganda leaflets," which were flown by balloon into the North
mainly by rightwing South Korean groups.
The North threatened to take action on the joint inter-Korean industrial park in
Gaeseong, just north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), if the leaflets continued
to be released. It also warned that Southern officials and workers could be
expelled from the park or the Mt. Geumgang resort. Pessimists caution the North
might take a more hard-line policy by suspending operations of the Gaeseong
complex or halting all government and private-level contacts and exchanges with
the South.
Inter-Korean relations are feared to worsen further if the North puts its threat
into action. The South still cannot find ways of making a breakthrough in the
chilled ties, especially after it stopped Southerners from traveling to Mt.
Geumgang following the July shooting of a housewife from Seoul by a North Korean
soldier. Pyongyang has already gone back to its outdated brinkmanship tactics
since President Lee vowed to link aid to the North to its nuclear disarmament and
stressed reciprocity in the inter-Korean ties.
It is necessary for the North to realize a more hostile policy will only bring
harm to the impoverished nation, one which badly needs economic aid from the
South. First of all, Pyongyang should return to the negotiating table and take
sincere steps to restore mutual trust.
(END)