Looking for A Way Out

By+Bai+Shi

Jeffrey Fowle， a U.S. detainee in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea（DPRK）—also known as North Korea—was released on October 21.

The 56-year-old Fowle was arrested in North Korea after he left Bible in his hotel room in May. Local authorities accused him of hostile acts against the country. Washington has repeatedly urged Pyongyang to release Fowle and two other U.S. citizens it detained in 2012 and 2014—Kenneth Bae and Mathew Miller.

The U.S. Government welcomed the DPRKs decision to free Fowle， said Department of State spokeswoman Marie Harf following the news.

Observers described the move as a positive signal sent by Pyongyang to Washington. In fact， in the last several months， North Korea appears to have been engaging in a diplomatic offensive. Senior DPRK officials have made frequent foreign visits and attended multilateral meetings.

Diplomatic offensive

On October 4， a DPRK delegation paid a surprise visit to Inchon of the Republic of Korea（ROK）， or South Korea， which was hosting the 17th Asian Games.

The delegation was led by three top aides of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un—Hwang Pyong So， Vice Chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission and Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean Peoples Army， as well as Choe Ryong Hae and Kim Yang Gon， secretaries of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea. This was the highest-level delegation that North Korea had sent to the ROK since Kim Jong Un assumed power in 2012.

During the visit， North and South Koreas agreed to resume high-level talks in late October or early November. The first and only North-South high-level dialogue since ROK President Park Geun Hye took office in late 2012 was held on February 12 at Panmunjom.

South Koreas Ministry of Unification said on October 4 that the visits of North Korean Asian Games athletes and top officials were hopeful to ease tensions and improve relations between the two countries.

In addition， DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong has made a number of foreign trips following his appointment this April， some of which were rarely conducted by senior North Korean officials.

Most notably， Ri attended the UN General Assembly in New York City and delivered a speech on September 27. The last time that a North Korean foreign minister spoke at a UN General Assembly in New York was 15 years ago. Ri even spoke of human rights in North Korea and noted the unification issue. In the past， the topic of human rights in North Korea was avoided entirely by its diplomats.

During his stay in New York City， Ri met with a number of foreign ministers as well as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. He also attempted to meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry， but the U.S. side declined the request， according to Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency. Nevertheless， Ris international debut made quite a stir.

Kang Sok Ju， Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea， who is charge of the Partys international affairs， also visited Germany， Belgium， Switzerland， Italy and Mongolia in early September. This was Kangs first diplomatic tour since he took office in April.

Wang Junsheng， a research fellow with the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， said that Kim Jong Un may have found that tough foreign policy approaches are unable to reach objectives and decided to pursue talks with the international community.

“But North Koreas active stance in talking with the international community does not mean a fundamental change in its foreign policy. The rare attempts at diplomacy may have many underlying causes，” Wang commented.

In defiance of international opposition， North Korea launched a rocket in late 2012 and carried out its third nuclear test in early 2013. But its unilateral hard line failed to make the international community recognize it as a nuclear state. Instead， its relations with South Korea， the United States and the international community at large have become ever more strained.

Wang said that North Korea， now under UN sanctions over its nuclear program， urgently needs foreign aid and international cooperation to develop the economy and improve peoples livelihood. According to him， this is a major reason why senior North Korean officials recent visits to a number of countries—particularly West European countries.

Furthermore， North Koreas diplomatic initiatives are closely related to Kim Jong Uns personal line of conduct. Some rare words and deeds of North Korean diplomats， for example， admitting the failure of its satellite launch and speaking of human rights at a UN meeting， have reflected the openness of the young leader， Wang said.

Two unification plans

Days after the DPRK delegations visit to Incheon， North Korea again brought up its unification plan. According to DPRKs Korean Central News Agency， Pyongyang called Seoul to consider its unification plan on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the proposal for founding the Democratic Federal Republic of Korea on October 10. The proposal was clarified by late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung at the Sixth Congress of the Workers Party of Korea in 1980.

North Korea needs to give its voice on the unification issue whereas South Korea has spoken of its proposal frequently on some international occasions this year， said Zhang Liangui， an expert on Korean issues at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

South Korean President Park put forward a three-step plan for peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula during a speech at the Dresden University of Technology， Germany， on March 28.

On September 24， Park again spoke of the unification proposal in her address at the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly. She said that unification would be a “bonanza” for Koreans and a blessing for neighboring countries as it would open up new opportunities through the marriage of South Koreas capital and technology with the Norths rich natural resources.

More importantly， Park stressed that North Korea should abandon its nuclear program and make necessary changes to pursue economic development and improve peoples livelihood.

South Korea has established a preparation committee in a bid to push forward its unification proposal.

“It is unlikely for South Korea to receive the proposal of founding a federal republic with the North，” Zhang said.

North Koreas proposal was put forward 34 years ago， but the South has never responded. In fact， the two sides each have their own strategic objectives.

“North Korea is in a passive position on the unification issue，” Zhang said. “Bringing up Kim Il Sungs proposal aims to regain the initiative， particularly in terms of diplomacy.”

Although it is willing to discuss unification with Seoul， Pyongyang insists that it not abandon its nuclear program unless Washington abolishes its hostile policy and nuclear threat against North Korea.

Parks unification proposal continues along with the concept of her predecessor Lee Myung Bak. Since South Koreas economy is superior to North Koreas， the former is expected to take the leading position in the unification process—much to the concern of North Korea， Zhang analyzed.

As hopes for a new round of inter-Korean high-level dialogue rise， tension is again forming between the two sides.

Armies of North and South Koreas exchanged fires across the land border in Paju， some 40 km northwest of Seoul， as about 10 DPRK soldiers approached the military demarcation line （MDL） inside the demilitarized zone on October 19， according to South Korean Defense Ministry.

This was the second shooting along the MDL in less than 10 days. The previous skirmish along the border happened after North Korean soldiers opened fire at balloons carrying antiPyongyang leaflets that were floating across the border from South Korean activists.

Naval ships of the two Koreas also traded warning shots in the western sea boundary after a DPRK patrol ship violated the disputed maritime border， South Korean media outlets reported on October 7.

These incidents have cast a cloud over the potential for constructive high-level dialogues between the two sides.