DPRK needs handling with care

By announcing that it would conduct a "higher level nuclear test", the DPRK is trying the patience of the other five countries engaged in the Six-Party Talks. But it has also highlighted the importance and urgency of resolving the Korean Peninsula-related issues.

It's time the international community realized that the DPRK's sense of crisis has its roots in the economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation and military containment imposed on it by the US-led Western countries. Also, the DPRK is not the only country responsible for the volatile situation on the Peninsula.

The US' accelerated return to the Asia-Pacific region, the ROK's hard-line policy toward the DPRK and the Japanese government's uncompromising stance on the hostage issue have all contributed to the deteriorating situation on the Peninsula. A containment policy based on Cold War mentality and strategic considerations cannot bring about any fundamental change in the DPRK government. Instead, it could prompt it to take more unexpected, risky actions.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula requires a comprehensive regional and global response, and trying to force Pyongyang to unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons development program is unrealistic. Countries in Northeast Asia should assess the "DPRK threat" theory objectively and try to understand that the DPRK has the right to safeguard its territory in an increasingly complicated international environment. Only in this way can they develop relations with the DPRK and help create a favorable environment for it to integrate into the international community.

Northeast Asian countries have to work for peace and stability on the Peninsula, exercise restraint, and desist from taking any action that could escalate tensions. All disputes can be resolved through dialogue and consultation, and relevant countries should address their concerns in a comprehensive and balanced way. The issues have to be handled with caution and care to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish long-lasting peace and stability in Asia-Pacific.

Moreover, the US, Japan and the ROK should approach the matter without bias, listen to what the DPRK has to say, and refrain from initiating provocative military moves to avoid exacerbating tensions on the Peninsula.

The author is an associate researcher at the Center for Northeast Asian Studies, a research institution in Jilin province.

(China Daily 01/30/2013 page9)