March 26 marks the first anniversary of the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan, which left the entire nation in a state of shock and grief. In March last year, the South Korean patrol ship sank in the West Sea, with 46 out of 104 navy men on board perishing. Of the 58 survivors, one petty officer 1st class and seven petty officers 2nd class were discharged from the service, grieving the deaths of their fellow soldiers. Later, a civilian-military joint investigation group that included experts from four different countries concluded that the Cheonan was sunk by a torpedo attack by a North Korean salmon-class submarine, citing a North Korean marking found on the propeller shaft collected from the seabed of the sinking site. The marking read “1 beon” or “Number 1,” using an Arabic numeral and the Korean word for “number.” However, North Korea has denied its involvement, and inter-Korean conflict still lingers on this issue. Here’s Professor Kim Yeon-su at the Korea National Defense University to explain the implications of the Cheonan sinking.

It is a very rare incident in the history of inter-Korean relations. The tragedy is a vivid manifestation of the instability of the North Korean regime and the precarious security conditions in the region. Inter-Korean relations have moved forward and backward repeatedly. But the Cheonan sinking was a stern reminder of the reality that there are certain limits to progress in inter-Korean ties as long as the closed North Korean regime sticks to its military-first doctrine. It also posed a question about how to manage the unstable security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Since the Cheonan incident, inter-Korean relations have been mired in the doldrums. Eight months after a torpedo attack on the South Korean navy ship, North Korea fired artillery into areas in the West Sea near South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island in November last year. In the wake of North Korea’s first direct attack on South Korean soil since the Korean War, inter-Korean relations froze over instantly. The South Korean government demands that the North take responsible measures for the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong incidents and promise the prevention of similar provocations. But the two sides remain far apart on this thorny issue, as Pyongyang claims that the Cheonan sinking was a tremendous conspiracy against North Korea orchestrated by Seoul. In response, South Korea has suspended inter-Korean trade and economic cooperation as well as humanitarian aid for North Korea while banning additional investment in the North, under the government’s punitive measures against Pyongyang announced on May 24 last year. Professor Kim says the two military provocations by North Korea last year have intensified public concern over national defense in South Korea.

I think the South Korean people came to face up to the reality of their unstable security conditions, realizing that they are actually living in a place of conflict, not an area of peace like Europe. Also, many South Koreans felt that they should not repeat the exhausting ideological conflict within their society, particularly amid a national crisis. It’s necessary for South Korean citizens to recognize their security situation more accurately and to make greater efforts to promote national unity.

The Cheonan tragedy has had a major influence on international diplomacy and regional security. In May last year, South Korea announced the investigation result that a North Korean submarine fired a torpedo at the Cheonan. After that, the government condemned North Korea’s military provocation together with its allies the U.S. and Japan and pushed for strong measures against the country through the U.N. Security Council. But North Korea claimed that Seoul fabricated the sinking of the Cheonan, while China and Russia remain passive on imposing sanctions against the North. The U.N. Security Council failed to pinpoint North Korea as the culprit of the provocation due to objections by China and Russia, resulting in a presidential statement that simply denounced the attack that sank the South Korean warship. As a result, South Korea, Japan and the U.S. were pitted against North Korea, China and Russia over the Cheonan issue, spawning concerns about the revival of a new Cold War framework. But Professor Kim dismisses such concerns.

The acute conflict between South and North Korea is prompting some world powers to expand their respective roles in easing regional tension. Some are concerned that a trilateral alliance between South Korea, Japan and the U.S. may reignite a Cold War confrontation with North Korea, China and Russia, but I think this interpretation is too dichotomous. Despite the diplomatic tension, the mood for cooperation is also being formed in Northeast Asia. Some cooperative measures related to economic issues are expected to develop, and this will strike a balance between peace and tension. Still, Korean Peninsula issues could provide a source of diplomatic conflict among world powers. South Korea should make its own strategic efforts to address regional security issues independently, so as not to be exploited by the political interests of neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, North Korea is sending a series of conciliatory gestures to South Korea recently, and experts will note whether the two sides find a breakthrough in bilateral relations. Following the U.S.-China summit in January this year, the diplomatic mood on the Korean Peninsula has shifted from confrontation to reconciliation. Along with North Korea’s peace offensive, the mood for dialogue in areas such as inter-Korean talks and the six-party nuclear negotiations is gradually being created. Last week, North Korea agreed to accept 27 of its 31 nationals who drifted into South Korean waters in February, withdrawing its earlier demand for the repatriation of the entire group. On March 17, Pyongyang suggested an inter-Korean meeting to discuss a possible volcanic eruption on Mt. Baekdu in the North. Professor Kim explains there are urgent tasks to contend with to keep the dialogue momentum alive.

South Korea has three main tasks. First, it’s necessary to manage unstable political factors in North Korea effectively, as the communist nation is in the process of a power transition. Secondly, Seoul should be able to control North Korea’s nuclear issue. And lastly, South Korea needs to induce the North to pursue reform and openness for the ultimate goal of achieving regional peace and reunification. The problem is how North Korea will respond to Seoul’s efforts. For North Korea, it’s most urgent to improve relations with South Korea in order to resolve its economic difficulties—the most serious problem North Korea faces now. For that purpose, Pyongyang must eliminate obstacles to inter-Korean ties, which the nation created of its own accord. From a narrow point of view, the obstacles are the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong incidents. More fundamental problems include the nuclear issue, human rights abuses and reform and openness in the reclusive nation. Unless North Korea makes its own efforts to resolve these problems, inter-Korean relations will continue to repeat a cycle of progress and regression.

For an improvement in the strained inter-Korean relations, North Korea must first make a comprehensive change of attitude concerning its military provocations against the South and a sincere commitment to denuclearization. To this end, South Korea should come up with a flexible strategy to lead diplomatic developments in the region.



[Interview] Korean Japanese Director’s Film “Goodbye, Pyongyang” An attention-grabbing film was released in South Korea on March 3. Directed by second-generation Korean Japanese Yang Young-hee, the documentary film entitled “Goodbye, Pyongyang” portrays the lives of Korean Japanese people who moved to North Korea decades ago. In fact, the people depicted in the movie are modeled after the director’s own family members, who belonged to the pro-North Korean residents’ association in Japan called Jochongryeon, and later lived separately in Pyongyang and in Japan.

Yang’s father was born on Jeju Island and moved to Osaka, Japan, when he was 15 years old. After Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, he received recognition by North Korea for his role as a key official of Jochongryeon. Yang’s three older brothers, who loved classical music and architecture, boarded a ship headed for North Korea in the early 1970s when the project of returning Korean Japanese to North Korea was in full swing. The brothers settled in Pyongyang where Yang’s niece, Seon-hwa, who is the heroine of the movie, was born.

The movie starts with a scene of three-year-old Seon-hwa eating ice cream. Actually, that was the moment when I first met her. I immediately fell in love with the little girl. I wanted to film the entire growth of my first niece—through getting married and becoming a mother. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to enter North Korea any longer and I cannot see her now. But I decided to produce a film about her. My niece is much younger than I am, but she is a very mature person and always took care of me. I respect her and feel thankful to her.

The reality of North Korea was far from what Yang’s brothers had expected, though. They couldn’t lead decent lives unless their family members in Japan sent them money and daily necessities. For them, the packages from their mother were like a lifeline. Their relatives in Japan had only limited opportunities to visit North Korea, while those in Pyongyang were not allowed to travel to Japan at all. Director Yang was able to visit Pyongyang four times between 1995 and 2004. During that time, she filmed the lives of her family members, including Seon-hwa, with her small camera, and included her message in the film.

For many people, North Korea may bring up the image of a rigid, uncomfortable country. When I hear, ‘Pyongyang,’ I recall my family members. This film is about my family. Of course, the film does not represent Pyongyang or North Korea, but my family is part of Pyongyang and I can meet my family members there. My father came from South Korea, but he yearned for Pyongyang throughout his life. Pyongyang is a special place to my family. I hope viewers will show more interest in the Korean Japanese and other sides of Pyongyang that they didn’t know about, and also think more about their own family members.

In fact, “Goodbye, Pyongyang” is not her first film. She won the Best Asian Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival and the World Cinema Special Jury Prize for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival for her 2006 film “Dear Pyongyang,” which depicts the life of herself and her father. Her films are imbued with her longing for family and depictions of the daily lives of North Korean citizens, reminding viewers of what they seldom think about in normal times.

When hearing the places, ‘Pyongyang and North Korea,’ I thought the movie would feature a rather serious theme. But it is the story of a family, of the family members’ separation and affection for one another. The main theme of the film is the love of family, which is heartwarming and touching.

Unfortunately, Director Yang can no longer film her family members in Pyongyang, as the North Korean government banned her from entering the North because of the release of her previous film “Dear Pyongyang” in 2006. Still, she is planning a new film, and is looking forward to being reunited with her family in North Korea some day.

I’m planning a film drama. The scenario has almost been completed, and I’m going to cast actors and actresses. Like my previous works, this film, too, is about family, based on my own experience. It is not a reproduction of a real story, though. I’m going to portray a Korean Japanese family with a cast of Japanese actors and actresses. Shooting is scheduled to begin in August.

Many people call Pyongyang a battlefield of ideology. For the director, however, it is the home of her loved ones. We hope she will be able to enjoy her film with her family members in North Korea very soon.