Maintain a united front against tactical ploys

The US, South Korea and other nations are correct to stand firm in the face of continued aggression and belligerence by North Korea

US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart, Park Geun-hye, have presented a unified front against North Korean aggression and called on the reclusive state to end its nuclear programme in exchange for international aid.

While Obama talked about economic cooperation between the US and South Korea, perhaps what connects the two countries more is their military cooperation and the constant threats from Pyongyang.

The two leaders vowed in talks this week to strengthen their military alliance and use it to answer North Korea's belligerence, which never seems to end.

"If Pyongyang thought its recent threats would drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States or somehow garner the North international respect, today is further evidence that North Korea has failed again," said Obama during a joint press conference at the White House.

Obama added that, while North Korea's provocative behaviour will not be rewarded, the US remains open to the prospect of Pyongyang taking a peaceful path.

Park has been just as firm, if not tougher, in her approach. She has said she will leave it up to her country's armed forces to respond to North Korea's provocations, and the military need not fear political reprisals.

More interesting is the fact that neither leader took note of Pyongyang's recent decision to withdraw two rockets from provocative launching positions, underpinning Obama's statement: "The days when North Korea could create a crisis and elicit concessions … those days are over." In other words, such small measures on the part of the North should not be rewarded. North Korea, it seems, will have to put up or shut up.

Perhaps the best way to deal with North Korea is to not react to every little incitement or manoeuvre that Pyongyang decides to make. Stern warnings and a united front on the part of the US and South Korea in the face of these diplomatic ploys and gimmicks should continue.

For all we know, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might simply be looking to beef up his political position and not necessarily preparing his country for war.

Pyongyang needs to understand that, if it doesn't change course, the outcome could be disastrous, since stakeholders could misjudge its intention and take severe, calculated countermeasures.

In other words, North Korea could find itself choking on its own medicine. Already a growing number of South Koreans are suggesting that their country should develop its own military arsenal to counter North Korea's aggression and unpredictability.

Indeed, Seoul is seeking Washington's endorsement for it to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. This capability could lead to the development of nuclear weapons.

This course of action, however, would not necessarily make South Korea any safer from the North's threats. Rather, it runs against the preferred global trend of further reductions in nuclear-weapon stockpiles. Furthermore, it could make the global campaign to curb the North's nuclear ambitions that much harder to justify.

The international community might not have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to North Korea. In 2005 Pyongyang, under the six-party talks, signed an agreement with the US, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia to end its nuclear-weapons programme in exchange for aid, fuel and an end to isolation.

The agreement went up in smoke after the North conducted a series of nuclear tests in 2006, repeated in 2009 and again this past February. The door to negotiations is still open, but the decision to enter is up to Pyongyang.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/05/10/maintain-a-united-front-against-tactical-ploys/