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Diplomacy
Two Koreas Looking beyond Confrontation
Monday, September 13, 2010
North Korean Soldier
Tokyo -- Both Pyongyang and Seoul have taken steps in recent days which suggest an easing in the very high bilateral tensions that have prevailed since the South Korean government held the North responsible for the sinking of the warship Cheonan - an event which resulted in the deaths of 46 South Korean sailors.
Today the South Korean government announced that it would provide about US$8.3 million in aid, including rice and instant noodles, to flood-ravaged North Korea.
On Friday, Pyongyang unexpectedly proposed restarting a program whereby families divided in the Korean War of 1950-1953 hold brief reunions. South Korea accepted this proposal favorably.
It appears that both sides are now attempting to look beyond the confrontation over the Cheonan to the next step forward.
Clearing the Way for Six-Party Talks?
Not coincidentally, Stephen Bosworth, the US special representative for North Korea policy, arrived in Seoul yesterday evening.
There is speculation that the US government has come to favor restarting the Six-Party Talks, which aim to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish a multilateral framework for peace.
Bosworth himself, during a meeting held today with South Korean Vice-Foreign Minister Shin Kak-Soo, stated that he is "optimistic that at some point in the not too distant future we can be back engaged."
Pyongyang walked away from the Six-Party Talks process in April 2009 but has recently indicated that it wishes to resume the negotiations.
The Obama administration's position had been that there is no point in resuming talks so long as there is only a dim prospect that Pyongyang will implement key agreements, but there appears to have been a reevaluation in recent weeks.
Japan has simply followed the US position.
PanOrient News
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