[Editorial] Trump admin. must not be swayed by irresponsible remarks from Congress

US Secretary of Mike Pompeo during a meeting of the Arctic Council in Rovaniemi, Finland, on May 6.

Following North Korea’s launch of a short-range projectile, a hardline narrative about the North is once again becoming prominent among some US lawmakers. Both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are arguing that North Korea’s provocations are intolerable and calling for maximum pressure. They appear to be demanding an inflexible stance, without even offering a clear solution. The US government under President Donald Trump must not be swayed by the irresponsible bluster of members of Congress.

The arguments that some US lawmakers are trying to advance hark back to the inflexible stances on North Korea in the past, when North Korea and the US found themselves on the brink of crisis. The governments of South Korea and the US and even the UN have been hesitant to define North Korea’s short-range projectiles as being “missiles.” But there has been a string of remarks by members of Congress defining North Korea’s action as a “provocation.” They haven’t hesitated to make reckless statements, describing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a “madman” or a “murderous tyrant.” They’ve even recycled the phrase “rogue state,” which had gone out of style. Democratic lawmakers have also been making repeated calls to toughen up sanctions on the North, arguing that Trump has been too chummy with Kim. Both of the major parties seem absorbed in bashing North Korea, seemingly unaware that it was the US’ sweeping sanctions that triggered a backlash from the North. If they get their way and more pressure is placed on North Korea, it goes without saying that the North’s response will be even harsher.

The hardline response by South Korean conservatives isn’t helping the search for a solution to denuclearization, either. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that the projectiles didn’t cause any harm to South Korea, the US, or Japan and that it didn’t regard North Korea’s launch drill as a provocation. Regardless, the conservative press is representing the government’s prudent response as weakness, claiming that South Korea is sitting idly by while North Korea cranks up the intensity of its provocations. The Liberty Korea Party (LKP) went so far as to claim that the NIS has become a spokesperson for Kim Jong-un. Unless the conservatives mean to drive inter-Korean relations and North Korea-US relations off the cliff, they must refrain from such extreme claims.

Fortunately, the Trump administration has taken the stance of ruling out a military response and focusing on a diplomatic solution. After conciliatory remarks by Trump, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasized more clearly than ever that the US wants dialogue with the North, a step in the right direction. Now it needs to take one more step, through a turning point that can lead to meaningful dialogue between the two sides. The starting point would be a change of stance by North Korea, along with the US exhibiting some flexibility by backing down from its rigid demand for an all-in-one deal.

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