North Korean intentions perplex the world

North Korean intentions perplex the world

SEOUL: North Korea has produced a series of proposals for
improving inter-Korean relations this year. The proposals range
from holding the next round of Red Cross talks Jan. 29-31 to
discuss delayed reunions of dispersed family members to arranging
fisheries talks and exchanges between taekwondo organizations in
the South and the North.

North Korea also pledged that it would actively push ahead
with a set of economic projects with the South this year
including the reconnection of cross-border rail and road links
and the establishment of joint flood control systems.

On the diplomatic front, Pyongyang has made it clear that it
will continue its initiatives to improve relations with western
countries.

We can speculate on the motives behind these North Korean
initiatives. As alleged by some, the North Koreans may have taken
these measures with the new Bush administration in Washington in
mind.

By making conciliatory gestures toward the South, the
communist country may have wanted to show officials in the Bush
administration its continuing commitment to inter-Korean
reconciliation and the ongoing talks on relations with the United
States and other western countries.

The new North Korean initiatives may also be an extension of
the new thinking of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, as
others have postulated. Kim recently asked his people to abandon
old ideas and develop a new way of thinking and a new viewpoint,
according to Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the North Korean
Workers' Party.

Or, the North may have realized that South Korean support is
indispensable to its dire efforts to rehabilitate the economy.
Or, perhaps, it is simply attempting to gain the upper hand in
future negotiations with the South by taking the initiative in
various projects.

Whatever the motivations might be, the series of North Korean
proposals are encouraging. First, they may be the signs that the
regime in the North will continue to commit itself to inter-
Korean agreements on reconciliation and cooperative projects. The
commitment will certainly help facilitate the North Korean effort
to improve relations with the United States and other western
countries.

The likelihood that the Pyongyang regime has the new U.S.
administration in mind is not a bad thing, either. Because of
their ideological inclination and past experience, many people
both within and outside Korea predict that the officials in the
Bush administration may take a harder line in dealing with North
Koreans.

If North Korea is taking the initiative in improving relations
with the South in order to improve American perceptions of the
North, it would indicate that it is serious about having dialogue
with the U.S. government.

Such a stance adopted by North Korea will also make it easier
for American officials to decide whether to continue the current
policy of engagement of the communist country.

There is no question that prospects for future Washington-
Pyongyang relations, as well as Seoul-Pyongyang relations, are
much dependent upon the North Koreans. President-elect George W.
Bush has reportedly suggested that he might be willing to pick up
on the framework of his predecessor Bill Clinton for a deal with
North Korea to control its production and export of missiles,
depending on North Korean attitudes.

Despite remarkable developments in inter-Korean reconciliation
over the past seven months and considerable progress in missile
talks between the United States and North Korea, however, many
decision-makers both in Seoul and Washington remain unsure about
North Korean intentions.

They say the progress made mainly in the economic fields so
far falls far short of assuring them of fundamental change in
North Korean policy. They are also not sure whether the North
Koreans are really willing to give up their military program in
return for economic and other incentives that may be helpful to
the recovery of their economy.

We firmly believe that the process of bringing long-awaited
peace to the Korean Peninsula should continue. Achieving this
will require not only our efforts but also the corresponding
commitments of North Korea and neighboring countries.

It would be the most unfortunate if all our hard work over the
past several months came to nothing because of imprudent actions
on the part of some of those involved in the negotiating process.
In this sense, the recent North Korean peace overtures toward the
South are more than welcome.

--The Korea Herald/Asia News Network