South bets talks with North pay off
BEIJING — South Korea leaped Tuesday at an offer of talks from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics, betting that tensions between the two countries can be eased after more than a year of insults, military drills, missile launches and nuclear tests.
U.S. officials said they doubt Kim’s sincerity but declared that Washington will not stand in the way, nor will it allow the North to drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States.
“Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time,” President Donald Trump tweeted, referring to Kim. “Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not — we will see!”
A top South Korean official suggested that the two sides meet as early as next week.
The offer of talks could lead to a temporary relaxation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
But experts warned that North Korea was most likely borrowing from a well-worn playbook, hoping to win relief from sanctions and buy time to improve its nuclear program without offering any real concessions.
In a New Year’s Day speech, Kim said he wanted to ease tensions with the South and was willing to send a delegation to the Olympics, and suggested that the two sides meet to discuss the idea.
At the same time, he cautioned the Trump administration that his missiles could strike any part of the United States.
Cho Myoung-gyon, Seoul’s unification minister, responded in a televised news conference Tuesday with an offer to meet as soon as Jan. 9 at the shared border village of Panmunjom to discuss cooperation over the Olympics and how to improve overall ties, news agencies reported.
Talks, if they took place, would be the first in more than two years.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in favors dialogue to reduce tensions with Pyongyang and sees the Olympics, which will begin Feb. 9, as a “groundbreaking chance” to improve ties and achieve peace.
Some analysts cautioned that
Kim may be trying to split South Korea from the United States, its ally. Trump and Moon have not been on the best of terms, and Trump has attacked Kim, personally and repeatedly.
Yet Trump did not appear to be disconcerted by Kim’s move. He said on Twitter that sanctions and other pressure “are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea,” citing the defection of two soldiers from the North across the demilitarized zone into the South in recent weeks.
And while Moon welcomed Kim’s address, he stressed that Seoul would have to coordinate the next steps with its allies,
according to the Yonhap news agency.
The idea of North Korea attending the Winter Olympics is also not one that meets universal approval.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the United States should boycott the Olympics if North Korea attends.
“Allowing Kim Jong Un’s North Korea to participate in #WinterOlympics would give legitimacy to the most illegitimate regime on the planet,” he tweeted. “I’m confident South Korea will reject this absurd overture and fully believe that if North Korea goes to the Winter Olympics, we do not.”