In an abrupt shift from its dialogue offensive earlier this year, North Korea is now taking a tough stance against South Korea and stepping up pressure day after day. North Korea said on May 30 that it would no longer deal with the South Korean government, criticizing Seoul for demanding an apology for North Korea’s two military provocations last year. As a follow-up measure, the North added that it would cut off military communication lines along the East Sea and shut down a liaison office in the Mt. Geumgang resort area. Two days later, the North quoted a spokesman for the National Defense Commission as saying that officials from South and North Korea had met secretly to discuss an inter-Korean summit. North Korea claimed that South Korea had proposed three summit meetings between their leaders during the clandestine contacts between the two sides that started on May 9 and that South Korean officials “begged” for Pyongyang’s apology for last year’s military attacks. Why is North Korea turning up the pressure on Seoul by suddenly disclosing such a sensitive issue? Here’s Dr. Hong Hyun-ik from the Sejong Institute to explain.

The South Korean government has remained firm in its position that it will not reward North Korea for agreeing to an inter-Korean summit. North Korea seems to have decided to resort to a brinkmanship tactic, concluding that it will be rather hard to push on its demand under the Lee Myung-bak government in South Korea. The U.S. and China continue to urge North Korea to engage in dialogue with Seoul, and the North wants to emphasize that Seoul, not Pyongyang, is responsible for the deadlock in inter-Korean dialogue. North Korea wants to say that it even made behind-the-scene contacts with South Korea but Seoul’s extreme obstinacy makes it hard to effectuate dialogue. Pyongyang is putting pressure on South Korea, suggesting it’s time to start dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. instead.

North Korea’s pressure on the South doesn’t end here. One June 2, the North adopted a special law that allows foreign corporations and individuals to invest in the Mt. Geumgang resort. In other words, the new law enables countries other than South Korea to arrange tours to the North Korean mountain. Diplomatic experts are noting that North Korea turned to the hard-line stance against South Korea only a few days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s visit to China.

China has provided North Korea with economic assistance, especially food and fuel. For North Korea, however, the actual amount of aid from China is only minimal and it is far from enough. So I imagine North Korea has its own complaints. Also, North Korea is reluctant to initiate reform and openness policies, which it believes could collapse the regime. But China strongly urges the North to seek reform and openness. While North Korea and China are traditional allies, their relations seem weaker than those of other allies. Also notably, unification director of the North Korean Workers’ Party, Kim Yang-gon, who oversees policies on South Korea, did not accompany North Korean leader Kim Jong-il when he visited China recently. Instead, First Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan escorted the North Korean leader, even attending the North Korea-China summit, which is considered unusual. That is, Pyongyang showed Beijing that it is willing to improve ties with the U.S. but it will deal with inter-Korean relations on its own. As a means of demonstrating independence, North Korea probably chose to take tougher action against South Korea.

Some speculate that North Korea will adopt its traditional strategy of seeking dialogue with the U.S. while keeping out the South for the time being. In fact, North Korea has made a series of dialogue overtures to the U.S., as seen in the recent North Korea visit by U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights, Robert King, and North Korea’s release of Korean-American missionary Jun Yong-su who had been detained in the North.

For China, relations with the U.S. are very important. North Korea’s nuclear development will certainly worsen U.S.-China relations, so Beijing wants North Korea to improve ties with the U.S. North Korea, for its part, is also hoping for a better relationship with the U.S. since it can receive food aid from the U.S. and also take a hard-line approach against Seoul at the same time. In other words, North Korea is attempting to keep South Korea in check by forming closer ties with the U.S.

Experts predict that North Korea’s recent hard-line stance on South Korea will affect inter-Korean dialogue and the resumption of the six-party talks as well.

Inter-Korean relations and the six-party nuclear talks alike are at a critical moment. All negotiators, except North Korea, have agreed on the so-called three-step process to resume the six-party talks, which was initially proposed by South Korea and was gradually accepted by China this year. Under the proposal, South and North Korea would convene denuclearization talks first, followed by North Korea-U.S. dialogue and then the resumption of the six-party talks. So, the five participants of the six-party talks are waiting for North Korea to suggest an inter-Korean meeting as the first step. Unfortunately, relations between South and North Korea remain deadlocked, following North Korea’s untimely bombshell revelation of secret inter-Korean contacts. While North Korea doesn’t care about the current state of inter-Korean ties, China and the U.S. are expected to urge the North again to initiate denuclearization talks with South Korea. The two powers are also pressuring South Korea to be more committed to dialogue with the North, suspecting that Seoul is rather tepid toward dialogue while Pyongyang is ready for talks.

Involved countries, including South Korea, are wondering how long North Korea will maintain its hard-line stance toward South Korea and whether it may lead to an armed protest. But Dr. Hong says North Korea is unlikely to launch an armed provocation, due to international warnings: China’s Defense Minister Liang Guanglie said on June 5 that China is persuading North Korea not to take any military risks.

I don’t think the chances of North Korea’s military provocation are high. North Korea can receive food aid from the U.S. and economic assistance from China when stability is restored in inter-Korean relations and in security conditions on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, North Korean armed provocations are unlikely, although it may be getting tough on South Korea on the surface. Nevertheless, the South Korean military should ensure watertight security and prepare against any provocations from the North. The government needs to change the way it looks at North Korea and initiate dialogue, starting with the six-party talks, to eventually lay the groundwork for the peaceful unification of Korea.


[Interview] Defector Wins Scholarship Offered by British Embassy in Seoul
A student is absorbed in an English class taught by a native English-speaking instructor at a crowded lecture room in the British Council in Seoul. The student is Oh Se-hyeok, who is busy these days preparing for studying abroad. Last month, the North Korean defector was selected as a nominee for the Chevening Scholarships, awarded to North Korean defectors for the first time this year by the British Embassy in Seoul. The scholarships assist selected individuals in post-graduate studies in Britain for one year. Having won the prestigious scholarships after an English test and an interview, Se-hyeok is leaving for Britain in September. He says he never really knew English would be such an important means of enriching his life.

Of course I was happy, but I could hardly believe my good fortune. I feel excited at the thought of going to Britain, the county I’ve been hoping to visit. I’m wondering what kind of a country Britain is and what my life there will be like. Language is sort of a tool, isn’t it? Using English, I’ve been able to meet various people and share ideas with them. Such experience greatly helped me broaden my view of the world. In this sense, English truly enriched my life.

Born in Haeju, Hwanghae Province in North Korea, Se-hyeok crossed the Tumen River into China in 1999 when he was a vocational college student. In 2002, he managed to enter the German Embassy in Beijing and later came to South Korea by way of a third country. He began to show interest in English when he participated in a foreigners’ event hosted by a missionary group in China. The English skills that he had picked up in North Korea weren’t very good, but he found the idea of communicating with foreigners with different skin colors and exchanging information with them through English attractive. After arriving in South Korea, he studied English consistently.

As a university student and graduate school student, I came to realize the importance of English. I also discovered English was essential to academic exchanges and analyses of research materials. So I studied English very hard. I attended a private learning institute or studied all by myself. When I prepared for the Test of English for International Communication or TOEIC and the Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL, I studied all day long, except for eating and sleeping, memorizing English words and trying to improve my listening skills. I used to sit for four to five hours in a row to concentrate on listening skills. I remember listening to one passage more than ten times. Later, I found myself memorizing the whole passage. That was how I studied English.

On top of English, Se-hyeok was willing to rise up to various challenges to overcome the limitations of a North Korean defector. After he graduated from the Chinese language department at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, he entered the Graduate School of Social Science at Korea University. There, he obtained a master’s degree last February with a thesis entitled “Sociological Research of Factors that could Change North Korea’s Economic System.” Last year, he donated prize money he won at a debate contest to a local group dedicated to North Korean human rights. Currently, he works as an intern at the Asia Foundation. He is moving toward his dream step by step. Se-hyeok talks about what he is hoping to study in Britain.

I’m going to apply for three or four universities in Britain. When I get permission from one of them, I can decide on which university I will enter. I hope to work on development studies, which explore how developed countries, such as the U.S., European countries and South Korea, can provide aid to less developed countries in Asia and Africa, including North Korea, in a more efficient way. The studies will also include research on how international aid has been provided to North Korean thus far, how it has been used there and how it will be utilized more effectively in the future.

Se-hyeok also hopes to gain a deeper insight into the outside world through diverse cultural experiences, such as a backpack trip around Europe. After cultivating his abilities in the field he will be studying, he wants to work at an international organization and help young people who have the same dream as he did. He’s willing to give a piece of advice to younger North Korean defectors.

Once you start off on something, you may find it challenging at first. But you can produce a result if you set a long-term goal and work on it persistently. Also, it’s necessary to look at yourself objectively. You must make the right decision on whether you are capable enough to do a certain job, whether your financial conditions are sufficient enough, and if you lack these things, whether you have patience and enthusiasm at least. And it’s important to continue to remind yourself of what you were dreaming of in North Korea, how you lived there and why you came to South Korea.

Se-hyeok is always eager to take up new challenges, exploring his life with his own convictions and enthusiasm. His successful resettlement will surely inspire his fellow North Korean defectors with hope and courage.