Too soon to let our guard down
With preparations underway for a third summit between South and North Korea in September, it may be easy for some people to forget that not much has changed. That would be a mistake. The world should not yet let its guard down. North Korea remains a nuclear threat, and its regime seems to be as repressive as it has been.
Granted, recent Korean summits have eased tensions and brought about a sense of hope. The most dramatic of those summits remains fresh in our collective memory – that historic meeting in June between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, the first incumbent US president to meet with a North Korean leader. And next month, Moon Jae-in will be the first South Korean president to visit the North’s capital, Pyongyang, in about a decade.
Also, there have been remarkable gestures from North Korea. On at least two occasions, the North repatriated to the United States what were believed to be the remains of American soldiers who died during the Korean War, which has not yet officially ended even though there has been no fighting for about 65 years now.
That’s all well and good. But lest we forget, North Korea still has nuclear weapons and the capability to deploy them into enemy territory. Only last week, the United Nations reported that North Korea was continuing to develop its nuclear and ballistic missiles programs, and that Pyongyang has been skirting economic sanctions. And a few days ago, North Korea’s foreign minister said his government intends to hold on to its nuclear know-how despite his leader’s promise of denuclearization of the peninsula.
Brutal reality
We should also try to remember what kind of a leader Kim Jong-un has been. Not only does that add to our understanding of the man from Pyongyang who is now taking on the world stage; it also gives us an appreciation for the difficulties that he faces as he pivots to make peace with the world.
When he was newly installed as leader and was consolidating his grip on power, Mr. Kim purged those who got in his way. We read about his own uncle, Jang Song-thaek, a leading figure in the North Korean government who was stripped of power before news broke that he had been killed. There were eight others executed during that power consolidation, according to a 2013 report by The Telegraph.
More recently this year, four North Koreans were publicly executed as punishment for a bus accident in April in the country’s North Hwanghae province, said a Southeast Asia expert on the DPRK. That source added that on May 10, 2018, Korean Kumgang Group (KKG) Director Hwang Yo’ng-sik, the KKG political chairman and two unidentified officials were tied to wooden posts with large wooden signs hung around their necks, and then shot by firing squad at the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces Security Command Headquarters.
The Southeast Asia expert explained that the executions were done to placate the Chinese, regarded as North Korea’s most important tourist market. Thirty-two Chinese tourists died in that bus accident, according to various media reports.
If Mr. Kim and his regime have since reformed their heavy-handed, if not inhumane, ways, the world has yet to see any evidence of that.
That is not to say that we have lost hope. On the contrary, we are encouraged by the continuing engagement of North Korea – but wary about giving in to its demands.
Ahead of the September summit, North Korea has made repeated calls for the lifting of the UN sanctions. We expect that the photo opportunities and policy statements at such carefully staged events will create a new wave of euphoria.
Such nice gestures and promises are meaningless, however, if they are not backed up by action. And so we caution against granting Pyongyang any more concessions, not until there is verifiable proof that Mr. Kim’s regime is less of a threat not only to Southeast Asia and the rest of the world, but also to its own people. We hope that will be part of the agenda in September.
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