Will we see a more proactive South Korea?
While I’m hearing a lot of commentary on what Obama should and shouldn’t do with his North Korea problem, I am curious as to what South Korea is thinking.
I have been told by contacts in South Korea that these latest moves by the DPRK have not been able to break through the average South Korean’s desensitized shell. Indeed, South Korean headlines seem to suggest the South is just as obsessed with the nuclear test’s affect on the economy, if not more so than what it means as a safety concern on the peninsula.
While it is true that Lee Myung-bak came into office on hopes of improving South Korea’s economic woes first and foremost, he was also voted into the Blue House because of his vows to take a stronger stance on North Korea compared to the late President Roh.
It seems South Korea under Lee is starting to show some initiative, although some say it is more symbolic in nature:
The South Korean administration announced on the 26th that it would join the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which South Korea had delayed joining due to factors in inter-Korean relations, the Hyundai Asan employee issue and the other pending complications. This firm move to sign up is a clear countermeasure against North Korea’s second nuclear test and short-range missile launches.
[…]
Vice Director of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses Kim Tae Woo pointed out that the PSI has limited value in the case of South Korea because, “The Inter-Korean Maritime Agreement is in force, and armed collisions between North and South can occur, so South Korea cannot forcibly search suspicious North Korean vessels. Therefore, joining the PSI is a symbolic gesture.
South Korea joining the PSI is promising (although probably ineffective) but the fact that it took so long to sign up in the first place is a bit worrying and reminiscent of the soft policies of the Roh years which centered on concerns over how policies would affect inter-Korean relations.
I liked Lee’s campaign stance on North Korea. It’ll be interesting to see how he deals with the issue now. While I agree, the nuclear test was probably more of a test directed toward Obama than toward Lee, it is still an opportunity for South Korea to step up to the plate and show its toughness as well.