A senior Seoul official recently said South Korea was willing to provide North Korea with incentives if necessary to resume the reunions of separated families. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not elaborate on what the South could offer, saying all pending inter-Korean issues could be discussed in a comprehensive way.
His remarks were interpreted as suggesting Seoul’s willingness to lift a set of sanctions it imposed on Pyongyang after the North’s 2010 deadly sinking of a South Korean warship. The sanctions have put all inter-Korean projects on hold except for the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.
The official’s comments apparently marked a departure from the principled position the conservative government under President Park Geun-hye has so far maintained on the recalcitrant regime in Pyongyang.
It has reiterated that the sanctions could be lifted only after Pyongyang takes responsible measures regarding the naval attack, which killed 46 South Korean sailors. It has also refused to reward Pyongyang for the reunion of separated families, noting the two Koreas should cooperate on this humanitarian issue without conditions attached.
It is certainly undesirable that inter-Korean ties continue to remain strained, undermining stability and peace on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia. Various initiatives that Park’s administration has taken to improve ties with Pyongyang have hit a wall in the face of the communist regime’s defiant attitude and provocative acts.
Given these circumstances, it may be understandable that Seoul is seeking to pursue a package deal with Pyongyang to make a breakthrough in inter-Korean ties.
What is worrying, however, is that Park’s administration may be hurrying to make conciliatory moves toward the North as her five-year term in office nears its halfway point.
While suggesting incentives for Pyongyang, the official said that, in some ways, Seoul needs to reflect on its lack of flexibility on inter-Korean matters. Maybe so, but he did not need to go so far as to make such a statement, which may send the wrong signal to North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un that his bellicose stance could pay off.
Seoul should avoid giving the impression of rushing to make some achievement in inter-Korean cooperation. Instead, it should work out sophisticated strategies that help induce Pyongyang to change course, and pursue them in a calm and determined manner.
A day after the official hinted at a conciliatory stance, Seoul’s Unification Ministry had to come forward to condemn North Korea for unilaterally removing the 5 percent cap on annual minimum wage increases for its workers at the inter-Korean industrial park in Gaeseong. This was a reminder of difficulties in doing business with the North, let alone setting a new framework for moving ahead with inter-Korean relations.
