North Korea's sudden cancellation of the test of a historical rail link the day before scheduled deserves to be criticized. The two Koreas agreed on specific months to run tests in 2004 and 2005, only to have things fall apart, but this time they had even set a specific time on a specific date. The six-party talks have been stalled for more than half a year at this point, and this latest turn of events is expected to have a negative effect on the whole of inter-Korean relations.
The North's reasons make even less sense than its decision. One reason given is that "pro-American extreme-right conservative forces are driving the country's political situation in a direction of extremely serious confrontation and war." There certainly are people in the South who are not very interested in progress in inter-Korean relations, but talk about "confrontation and war" is nonsense. If the North is exaggerating out of certain anxieties, that is all the more reason for it to actively work to achieve progress in relations with the South, and not grounds for canceling the test run.
The North’s other stated reason, that there has been no agreement on military guarantees of safe passage, is also lame. Military guarantees were discussed at working-level discussions at military talks last week, but since then the North has failed to respond to Southern proposals for further working-level dialogue about the issue. Meanwhile, at other talks, both sides agreed on the details of the test, and the South took that to be the will of the whole of North Korea. That authorities in the North went back on what had been agreed upon shows that they are not even in basic communication with themselves, even if they have good intentions. It is even more disappointing if this is a strategizing attempt to try to gain leverage against the South.
The cancellation will also make it difficult for former president Kim Dae Jung to take the train when he goes to Pyongyang next month. The next meeting between the two Koreas on economic cooperation might be influenced by this, as could events in the works to commemorate the 2000 inter-Korean summit. Even without this, the situation on the Korean peninsula has been stuck because of the confrontation between the North and the U.S., the issue of defectors, and because of rumors the North might be preparing to again test-fire its Taepodong missile. Making relations even more complicated will only make things more difficult for the North.
The only way to resolve the situation will be to decide on a new date for the rail test, and to do so as soon as possible. The North at least leaves open this possibility, saying it will "take the time to wait until the mood is right" for a test. The responsibility for making the mood right lies mostly with the North. We call on it to make a wise decision.
[Editorial] North Korea's inexplicable behavior |
