(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on March 9)- Time for talks

North Korea stepped up its threat against South Korea last week, saying that it could not ensure the safety of South Korean passenger planes flying over its eastern waters.

That announcement on Thursday followed North Korea's earlier demand during a
meeting between United Nations Command and North Korea that South Korea and the
United States scrap their annual joint military exercise, named Key Resolve-Foal
Eagle, scheduled to start today and continue through March 20.
At another border meeting between North Korea and U.S.-led UNC on Friday, the
North refused to stop its missile launch preparations and warned that it would
start treating the Obama administration with the same hostility it did the Bush
administration if Key Resolve-Foal Eagle was not cancelled.
United States special representative for North Korea policy Stephen Bosworth said
in Seoul that Washington wanted dialogue with Pyongyang. He also said a launch,
whether a missile or a satellite, would be "very ill-advised."
The North Korean missile launch is likely to be a key issue when Bosworth meets
with a series of top South Korean security and diplomatic officials today,
including Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, Unification Minister Hyun In-taek,
Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee and Seoul's new chief representative to the
six-party talks Wi Sung-lac.
The two sides are expected to discuss ways to prevent the anticipated missile
launch as well as what actions to take if Pyongyang does indeed launch a missile.
With very limited diplomatic options available on preventing a North Korean
missile launch, the focus is likely to be on what happens after that launch.
Although Bosworth said he was confident that countries taking part in the
negotiations to denuclearize North Korea could respond in a united fashion to
such a launch, there are some differences. While South Korea, the United States
and Japan maintain that even a satellite launch - North Korea claims it plans to
launch a satellite, not a missile - would be in violation of a U.N. resolution
banning ballistic missile testing, China and Russia have called for a more
cautious approach.
A unified stance is crucial in preventing a missile launch by the North.
Pyongyang's claims that it is launching a communications satellite and that the
country has a right to pursue a peaceful space development program are but thinly
disguised attempts to justify a missile launch. Whether the launch involves a
ballistic missile or a satellite, the technology used to put objects into space
is similar to that of ballistic missiles, meaning that making a distinction
between a ballistic missile and a communications satellite is redundant.
South Korea and the United States have both said that they are open to dialogue
with the North. Pyongyang should stop its belligerent rhetoric and return to the
negotiating table. The rather cool responses by Seoul and Washington to each of
Pyongyang's stepped up threats so far seem to be triggering Pyongyang into making
yet more threats. North Korea should have realized by now that issuing threats is
not working to its advantage. It should now focus on engaging in productive
dialogue with Seoul as well as Washington.
(END)