U.S. President Barack Obama visited South Korea on November 18 as the final leg of his Asian tour, which also took him to Japan and China on state visits and to Singapore for the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. During his first trip to South Korea as president, President Obama held a summit with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae on November 19. The two heads of state exchanged opinions about pending issues, including the South Korea-U.S. alliance. This is the third meeting between the two leaders, following their first summit on the sidelines of the G20 summit in London in April and the second one in Washington in June during Lee’s U.S. trip. President Obama wrapped up his Asian tour with the South Korea visit, which came ahead of U.S. special envoy Stephen Bosworth’s planned trip to North Korea. Here’s Professor Kim Geun-sik to assess the high-profile meeting.

The two presidents have held summits several times before, but this marked the first time that Obama visited Seoul himself for a summit. South Korea was the last destination of Obama’s Asian tour that also included stops at Japan and China. Obama’s visit to Asia, his first since taking office, reveals the direction of U.S. diplomacy concerning Northeast Asia. The South Korea-U.S. summit is considered a useful venue in which the two countries discussed in depth various impending issues, including the ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement and the North Korean nuclear standoff. It’s a little disappointing that Obama stayed in Seoul for such a short period of time compared with his visits to Japan and China. But the Lee-Obama summit was significant in that the two countries reaffirmed their bilateral alliance.

Topping the summit’s agenda was, no doubt, the nuclear issue. The two leaders agreed to jointly push for the “grand bargain,” a one-step package deal proposed by President Lee to achieve North Korea’s denuclearization in exchange for aid and security. In doing so, the two countries demonstrated solid alliance. In a joint press conference after the summit in Seoul, President Obama announced that he would dispatch special representative for North Korean policy Stephen Bosworth to North Korea on December 8th for bilateral talks. The U.S. will send a special presidential envoy to Pyongyang for the first time in seven years since then-U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly visited the North in 2002. It is unusual for President Obama to announce such a plan himself at a news conference. Why did the U.S. president announce the plan for Bosworth’s North Korea visit, which could be a turning point in nuclear negotiations, here in Seoul?

President Obama made an official announcement of Bosworth’s planned Pyongyang visit after the South Korea-U.S. summit. This is a politically symbolic gesture indicating that Seoul and Washington are in full agreement on future negotiations between North Korea and the U.S. At present, nuclear negotiations are progressing between the North and the U.S., while inter-Korean relations remain deadlocked and the six-party talks are still up in the air. Obama’s announcement shows South Korean President Lee Myung-bak fully understands and agrees that North Korea and the U.S. will hold bilateral talks first. That is, the U.S. will deal with nuclear negotiations based on the consensus of opinions between South Korea and the U.S.

The foreign media quickly reported the results of the South Korea-U.S. summit. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said his country would support the upcoming North Korea-U.S. dialogue and expressed hope that their bilateral talks would facilitate the prompt resumption of the six-party talks. Meanwhile, U.S. media agencies said President Obama appeared most comfortable in South Korea during his Asian tour. The New York Times reported that Mr. Lee is more closely aligned with American policy than were his liberal predecessors. Major media outlets in Japan, including state-run broadcaster NHK, noted that South Korea and the U.S. came to a consensus on the “grand bargain” deal to demonstrate their alliance and solidarity once again. Now, the international community is paying keen attention to whether Bosworth’s Pyongyang visit will produce a breakthrough on the nuclear impasse and what will be discussed during North Korea-U.S. dialogue.

It will be the first high-level meeting between North Korea and the U.S. since the inauguration of the Obama government. Washington thinks it’s most important to get North Korea back to the six-party talks, which the communist nation has boycotted thus far. Pyongyang, for its part, hopes to directly meet with the U.S. to discuss broader issues, such as normalization of relations, a peace treaty and economic assistance. It is possible that North Korea may put these topics on the table. The U.S. reportedly pointed out North Korea’s first Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Kang Sok-joo as Bosworth’s counterpart. It remains to be seen whether the two officials will have a substantial discussion and whether Bosworth may meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

In regards to Bosworth’s North Korea visit, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week that a peace treaty and economic assistance for North Korea as well as normalization of relations would be open for discussion as long as North Korea recommits to complete denuclearization. But she also made it clear that North Korea’s nuclear dismantlement and corresponding incentives should be discussed within the context of the six-party talks. The remarks are considered an about-face from Washington’s previous position: the U.S. said on October 21 that it would be impossible to normalize relations with a nuclear-armed North Korea. Amid the apparent shift in the U.S. policy, some cautiously predict that the six-party talks will reconvene soon. A high official of the U.S. State Department says North Korea dropped a clear hint about its willingness to return to the six-way talks. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who is known for his acquaintance with North Korean officials, confirmed the statement. Professor Kim says both North Korea and the U.S. need to approach one another in a flexible way in order to reach a new turning point through their bilateral talks.

A peaceful solution to the nuclear issue through negotiations is a grave task we have long contended with. North Korea and the U.S. have managed to create dialogue momentum somehow. To keep the hard-earned chance alive, North Korea must take a more flexible attitude. For example, the North could make some concessions rather than unilaterally pressing its dialogue partner into accepting its demands. South Korea has already presented a one-shot package deal, namely, the “grand bargain” as a means to end the North Korean nuclear crisis. Seoul needs to polish the plan with more details so it can persuade both North Korea and the U.S. with that proposal. In other words, it’s necessary for South Korea to create its own plan designed to convince the U.S. to listen to North Korea and vice versa.

Expectations are running high for the resolution of the nuclear issue, with North Korea-U.S. dialogue taking shape little by little. It’s hoped the upcoming talks will be an important step on the road to settling the nuclear impasse; a chance to seek peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.


[Interview] Art Therapy Program for Elderly North Korean Defectors
More and more people seem to be acknowledging problems elders are facing, a reflection of Korea’s rapid transition to an aging society. And elderly North Korean defectors probably need more attention and consideration. The fears and anxiety they coped with in the course of escaping North Korea have caused tremendous stress. They also face many difficulties even after arriving in South Korea. They usually need more time to adjust to a new environment than young people do. A local social welfare center has created an art therapy program with the purpose of helping the senior citizens from North Korea gain emotional stability. Since October 29, every Thursday the Cheongsol Welfare Center located in Bundang in Seongnam City, southeast of Seoul, has provided elderly North Korean expatriates with a group therapy program entitled “A Journey into Myself.” Social worker Kim Ji-na says the center planned this program in the hope of doing something good, something new for the old newcomers.

About ten percent of elderly North Korean defectors reside here in Seongnam City. Many groups and institutions provide aid to senior citizens from the North, but most of the assistance is about temporary or one-time events, like a picnic. We wondered how we could help them ease their mental stress. Artistic activities are something they can carry out naturally. Through these activities, they have a chance to talk with fellow defectors, too. So we decided to use art therapy.

Today, the participants engage in clay work and drawing on sandpaper. While drawing paintings and molding a figure out of clay, the elderly reminisce about their childhood or share their stories with one another. Here’s art therapist Lee Hwa-seong to explain why the participants are using clay and sandpaper, among other materials.

Clay is closer to nature. Its soft and sticky texture stimulates the sense of touch. It’s good for children, but I thought it would also be a proper material for the older people. So I chose clay in this session. While rubbing and kneading the clay, they will vent their suppressed feelings and relax their emotional strain. They also draw their individual pictures on sandpaper. In the process of creating one big picture with the individual designs, the participants realize that they are one and they can do something in cooperation.

The Cheongsol Welfare Center also offers various other programs tailored to the elderly defectors. But the center is mainly focused on a therapy program to help them ease their psychological strain and boost emotional stability.

The center has a team, called the “Silver Workforce Bank” consisting of South Korean senior citizens. The team members hold one-on-one meetings with their North Korean counterparts once or twice a month. They enjoy the get-togethers, cooking food together, for example, whether it is North Korean food or South Korean food. The North Korean newcomers wish they could share everything they enjoy here with their families in the North. They say they feel guilty about living comfortably here in South Korea. In addition to this art therapy program, we plan to offer other similar programs, like horticulture therapy.

Here’s hoping those therapy programs will help the elderly North Korean newcomers vent their pent-up feelings and live comfortably in South Korea for the rest of their lives.