What’s Going on with North Korea’s “Conciliatory Moves”?

At times, reading about the life of Kim Dae-jung made me think I was reading the brief for a blockbuster movie in the making. His struggles and accomplishments read like the stuff films are made of and it’s true, no matter what you thought of him, DJ leaves behind a legacy in South Korea full of successes and failures.

But during my readings, a statement about his death’s impact on the future of North-South relations caught my eye (see page 2):

Analysts said Kim’s death may help bring the rival Korea back to dialogue, especially following conciliatory moves by the North in recent days that included a promise to reopen its border with the South, suggesting to some that tension may be subsiding.

I recall they said the same thing about the U.S. after Clinton’s visit to North Korea, as well as the visit of Hyun Jung-eun, chairwoman of South Korea’s Hyundai Group. Headlines such as this seem to hint at optimism when dealing with the DPRK.

And you could argue that relations have appeared to have warmed for now we are hearing of a meeting coming up between Bill Richardson and DPRK envoys in addition to talks about the reopening of North Korea resort tours for South Korea citizens.

But are these truly “conciliatory moves” made by North Korea? It depends on what will be proposed at the Richardson meeting, but as for warming ties with South Korea, money seems to be a driving force behind North Korea’s willingness to open up; the North’s behavior may be perceived as being conciliatory but the regime definitely has another agenda on its mind. The release of Yoo Seong-jin, the detained Hyundai employee, came at a price with the agreement to restart cross-border tourism, although it was also an agreement Hyundai probably couldn’t afford to pass up, literally.

(Never mind that tricky thing called a possible violation of U.N. sanctions that might get in the way of such ambitions.)

It’s worth noting that despite these developments between Hyundai and the DPRK, Seoul has distanced itself from the agreement.

Still, it seems analysts are eager to point to signs of warming ties between North Korea and South Korea, as well as with the U.S., and Kim Dae-jung’s death seems to be the latest opportunity for such optimism to shine. As for me, I’ll opt to go the cautious route before declaring that North Korea has shown interest in cooperating with the international community. I still think it’s too early to describe these latest moves as part of an “improved relationship” as I see the motive behind these developments more along the lines of survival on North Korea’s part, rather than a sincere effort to engage with the international community toward achieving shared interests. (For instance, I don’t believe North Korea will ever agree to disarm itself.)

It’s also hard to get too excited about such developments after years of riding North Korea’s roller coaster. Months ago I thought we were seeing the end of Kim Jong Il only to see he has outlived both Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung in a turn of events reminiscent of Boris Yeltsin’s longevity in the 1990s. My point being, when it comes to North Korea, it’s better to go the cautiously optimistic route before jumping on every opportunity to declare improvement.