Time to change conciliatory approach to North Korea: FM nominee

Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin speaks to reporters at his temporary office in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

South Korea, US nuclear envoys discuss North Korea issues

By Kang Seung-woo

Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin suggested, Monday, that the new South Korean government will turn away from the Moon Jae-in administration's inter-Korean peace initiative amid escalating threats from North Korea.

Stressing the importance of cooperating with the U.S. in handling Pyongyang's provocations and promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, the nominee said he expected to meet with the U.S. nuclear envoy, who arrived in Seoul earlier in the day for talks with his South Korean counterpart and officials of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's transition committee.

Park, a four-term lawmaker of the conservative People Power Party who is recognized as an expert on relations with the U.S., led the ROK-U.S. Policy Consultation Delegation to Washington, D.C., earlier this month. During their visit, the delegates met with key senior officials of the Joe Biden administration such as National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Kurt Campbell, the White House policy coordinator for Asia.

The incoming administration's departure from President Moon Jae-in's Korean Peninsula peace process has been highly anticipated since the election campaign, during which Yoon slammed "fruitless" peace efforts highlighted by South Korea's push for a declaration to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, and heralded a major shift in dealing with its northern neighbor. Despite South Korea's repeated calls for the end-of-war declaration, North Korea has remained unresponsive.

"The Moon administration made efforts to improve inter-Korean ties in its own way, but North Korea did not respond to them properly. Since the Hanoi summit between the U.S. and North Korea in 2019 ended without a deal, the North has increased nuclear and missile threats without returning to dialogue," Park told reporters.

Park said the Korean Peninsula was at the end of its rope after failing to rein in the belligerence of the Kim Jong-un regime.

"We cannot stop North Korea from repeating military provocations only with a conciliatory stance and I think it is time to practically change our peacemaking policy toward North Korea," he added.

Park's remarks came shortly after North Korea announced, Sunday, it had test fired a new type of tactical guided weapon, Saturday, to boost its nuclear fighting capability, with its leader observing the launch.

The reclusive state has conducted multiple missile tests so far this year, including the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, crossing Washington's unofficial "red line" against North Korea's saber-rattling.

"While the international community has imposed sanctions on the North Korean missile launches, there is a need to keep the provocations in check," Park said.

"The Yoon administration will pursue a balanced policy toward North Korea, which will use a pressure and persuasion approach to the North Korea denuclearization," he added.

With the incoming president scheduled to take office, May 10, U.S. President Joe Biden is highly expected to visit Seoul before attending the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) summit in Tokyo, slated for May 24.

Given that the president-elect vowed to engage in diplomacy that places alignment with the U.S. at the center of its foreign policy priorities, the envisaged summit may focus on reviving the bilateral alliance, which Yoon believes has been damaged over the past five years under the Moon administration, which balanced improving inter-Korean ties along with the country's alliance with the U.S.

Noh Kyu-duk, right, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, shakes hands with his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim during their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

One agenda among others may be South Korea's request for a permanent presence of U.S. strategic assets on the peninsula ― an issue the delegation discussed with the U.S. National Security adviser in Washington, D.C.

However, Park said nothing had been decided yet on what the two heads of state will discuss, but hinted that they could talk about the global supply chain, the climate crisis and COVID-19 response efforts as well as North Korea.

Sung Kim, the U.S special representative for North Korea, arrived in Seoul on Monday on a five-day trip, raising speculation that the U.S. government is trying to cooperate on North Korea policy with the incoming South Korean administration.

The foreign minister nominee said he could have a chance to meet with the U.S. envoy.

"I had a pleasant conversation in Washington, D.C. in early April and I got a call that he will be visiting Seoul this week. So, I think we will probably have a chance to meet," Park said.

Meanwhile, Kim met with Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs and discussed North Korea's latest provocations.

"In our productive discussions today, we reiterated our joint condemnation of the DPRK's escalatory actions and we discussed our approach to the DPRK in light of its ballistic missile launches this year, including at least three ICBMs," Kim said following the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

"We also discussed how to respond to future DPRK actions including a possible nuclear test. We agreed on the need for a strong response to the destabilizing behavior we have seen from the DPRK," he added.

The meeting took place as the North Korean regime is expected to carry out a seventh nuclear test on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the birth of late founder Kim Il-sung that fell on Sunday.

The gathering also came two weeks after they met in Washington, D.C.

"Our frequent meetings underscore the U.S. and ROK commitment to continuing the closest possible coordination on DPRK issues and developments. Very importantly, they also demonstrate US determination to protect ourselves and also protect the security of our allies, including the ROK of course," the American envoy said.

The ROK refers to South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

While reiterating its preparedness to meet North Korea anywhere without any conditions, Kim expressed hopes for close bilateral coordination on the North with the new administration as well as the outgoing Moon administration.