N. Korea dialogue with US to widen inter-Korean schism: pro-N.K. daily

SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will become less of a diplomatic priority for North Korea should U.S. President-elect Barack Obama aggressively pursue dialogue with the communist state, a pro-Pyongyang daily said Friday.

Inter-Korean relations have been frosty since the pro-U.S. and conservative South
Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office in late February. Lee has taken a
firmer stance on North Korea than his two liberal predecessors, whom he has
accused of making too many concessions to the nuclear-armed neighbor.
"If the soon-to-be-inaugurated Obama administration takes a more aggressive
stance toward dialogue with the DPRK, having learned lessons from his
predecessor, the situation whereby we communicate with the U.S. and sideline
South Korea will be intensified," said the Joson Sinbo, the organ of a
pro-Pyongyang Korean group in Japan.
The daily, which is seen to represent Pyongyang's position on sensitive political
issues, also slammed President Lee for causing current tensions in inter-Korean
relations.
Pyongyang has yet to officially respond to Obama's win in the presidential election.
Many experts here say Pyongyang would welcome his victory, expecting him to take
a more flexible approach toward negotiations over the North's denuclearization,
allowing Pyongyang to make scant effort to mend fences with Seoul while focusing
more on diplomacy with Washington.
sshim@yna.co.kr
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