American pressure on North Korea is going on simultaneously and on many fronts. On March 30, main parts of the U.S. government got involved, too. The White House brought up the issue of women who have defected from the North and been sent back, and the Treasury Department froze the American assets of a Swiss company suspected of supporting the North's spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The State Department's special envoy on North Korean human rights spoke about working conditions for Northern workers in the Gaesong industrial area. As can be seen in the fact the six party talks have been stalled for more than six months, there is no quality dialogue and yet there is an abundance of confrontation and coercion.
There are aspects of the American decision to take action on the spread of WMD and the counterfeiting issue that, just as it says, relate to its national security. However, there needs to be hard evidence. The invasion of Iraq shows you the danger of not having proof. U.S. sanctions need to not be excessive, and the North needs to work to placate American concerns. That is how to go about having both sides move on.
It is wrong to use the issue of human rights as a tool for pressuring North Korea. Human rights, by their nature, require a change in the law and in public thinking over a long period of time. It inevitably leads to suspicions that the U.S. is trying to enact regime change instead of resolving the problem, because it is displaying animosity against the North and pressuring Pyongyang indiscriminately. It is not proper to link human rights and the working conditions of laborers in Gaeseong. The facts are wrong and the line of reasoning is irrational. It would be worth examining the working conditions at American companies in developing countries. It is an even bigger problem if the motive is to stop the Gaeseong industrial complex project being undertaken with South Korea's leadership. That kind of arrogant attitude destabilizes the political landscape on the Korean peninsula.
The U.S. needs to realize that its inappropriate North Korea policy over the last five years contributed to Pyongyang's declaration that is possesses nuclear weapons. A peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue only becomes more difficult as time passes. It is really time to focus in on the nuclear issue.
The Hankyoreh, 3 April 2006.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
[Editorial] U.S. Pressures North But Not On Nuclear Issue |
