[Editorial] NK, Do Not Miss Opportunity at This Time

The remark of Park Yeon-Gil, the North`s ambassador to UN, that "North Korea is ready to resume a dialogue with the U.S." is a big step forward from the previously expressed position: "We do not exclude the possibility of war against the U.S." The U.S., who has been pouring out hard-line statements, also reiterated its previous position, saying, "The U.S. is willing to talk with North Korea at any place, any time." Now both sides must prepare for the resumption of actual dialogue in a calm manner.

It is certain that the key to solving the fundamental problem is in North Korea`s hands. If the North is trying to use its cliffhanger strategy with weapons of mass destruction like nuclear missiles for negotiating with the U.S., it will be a grave miscalculation and mistake. Compared with the previous Clinton administration, the current Bush administration has a definitely different position and perspective concerning North Korea.

North Korea might be able to take advantage of this situation to improve the stagnated North-U.S. relationship and the South-North relationship. NK and the U.S., who had mutually set the foundations for joint communiqués geared to dramatically improve their relationship at the end of the Clinton administration, returned to square one when the Republicans won the U.S. Presidential election. Many experts said that North Korea`s belated response during the period of open NK-U.S. dialogue delayed the progress. North Korea must show a new attitude if it is not to make the same mistake again.

The North also needs to clarify its intention to improve the Inter-Korean relationship. The stagnated Inter-Korean relationship during the last year seems to have influence the U.S. in such a way as to make hard-line statements about the North recently. Therefore, NK must recognize that the improvement of the Inter-Korean dialogue will increase NK`s credibility in the eyes of the international society as well as fortify the security of the North Korean government.

The South Korean government is on double duty to recover a cooperative approach in terms of the North Korean policy with the U.S. before the Korea-U.S. summit on the 20th, and to urge the North to resume the North-U.S. dialogue and the Inter-Korean dialogue. As repeatedly indicated by Donga Ilbo, the South Korean government must correct its attitude toward the North who is ignoring the Korea-U.S. relationship and also prepare for the possibility that the North will employ the `dialogue with the U.S., ignoring the South strategy` again. South Korea must not allow the possibility of being excluded from the Inter-Korean dialogue and the relationship with other countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula.