[Yonhap Photo]
SEOUL, Jan. 03 (Aju News) -- At the beginning of 2018, North Korea's Kim Jong-un dropped a bombshell with his proposal for an inter-Korean dialogue. It is an anticipated gambit called 'Tongnam Bongmi' to bypass the United States and reach out to South Korea.
It is fairly consistent and suggests North Korea's strategic direction and tactical measures because the gambit has been carefully prepared for at least one month after reading the present situation accurately.
North Korea's nuclear development is an inevitably chosen measure to protect the system, which is extremely isolated and vulnerable. President Trump is pressing North Korea more strongly than any previous US president because he thinks North Korea is actually nearing the completion of nuclear power. Such a U.S. position prompted North Korea to adopt 'Tongnam Bongmi'. North Korea thinks it is not possible to negotiate now with the U.S. without making an open gesture to give up its nuclear program.
Kim is telling Washington that 'the nuclear button is on my desk' and cast an amorous glance to Seoul, responding to President Moon's attempt to bring North Korea to the Winter Olympics. However, Kim's gesture is conditional.
Kim is asking Seoul to cut off ties with Washington and get along with Pyongyang because he tied up the limbs of America with the completion of nuclear power. He also wants South Korea to terminate military exercises with the U.S., although Moon proposed their temporary suspension. In addition, Kim issued a guideline that 'pro-North Korean forces' in the South should stage an active anti-American campaign.
Kim's trick seems likely to create a shockwave in Northeast Asia. If military exercises suspended during the Winter Olympics are resumed, that will be used by North Korea as an excuse to 'qualitatively and quantitatively strengthen' its nuclear power as Kim said in his message.
It is not difficult to understand North Korea's intentions and to anticipate its future movements. Kim did not hide his intentions or put a double line. The problem is how to draw North Korea into action in line with our strategic goals to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, establish peace and create the foundation for unification. The worst policy is to respond in a hurry to the rare offer of reconciliation or ignore it because North Korea's ambiguity seems obvious.
What Kim said in his message will be the basis for predicting North Korea's policy direction for at least a year. As such tactics are based on the completion of nuclear power, North Korea is expected to use his message as the basis for its long-term strategy. Therefore, our countermeasures should be prepared from that point of view.
There are many things that need to be checked closely; whether to implement U.N. sanctions more strongly or not, whether to halt joint military exercises, and whether to resume them immediately after the Winter Olympics and so on. It is also necessary to reexamine the future of our alliance with the U.S. and consider the situation around the Korean peninsula. More important, South Korea should not give an impression to its people and neighboring countries that it is responding hurriedly to North Korea's gambit.
(This column was contributed by Kang Young-jin, a guest editorial writer.)
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
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