At a joint press appearance with South Korean President Lee Yong-Ho earlier today, President Barack Obama used what the New York Times called a “stern tone” with North Korea. Obama’s main objective is to bring an end to the Sisyphean quality of the negotiations. “The thing I want to emphasise is that President Lee and I both agree we want to break the pattern that existed in the past, in which North Korea behaves in a provocative fashion, and then is willing to return to talk … and then that leads to seeking further concessions.” What’s the best way to do this? Apparently, by answering the DPRK’s demands and provocations by providing these concessions before the DPRK agrees to return to the Six Party talks. Earlier this month, the DPRK laid out its conditions for talks. “If the U.S. is not ready to have a face-to-face meeting, we will go our own way,” the state Korean Central News Agency said, quoting a spokesman for the foreign ministry. “It’s time for the U.S. to make a determination.” So yesterday Obama announced that he will be sending Ambassador Stephen Bosworth for direct, face-to-face meetings with Kim Jong Il’s regime, something the North Koreans have been seeking for years as a boost to the legitimacy of their criminal regime. And, standing next to Obama, President Lee promised the North Koreans a “grand bargain” of incentives for good behavior. All of this after repeated provocations by North Korea and a persistent intransigence on multilateral talks. When North Korea tested a Taepodong 2 missile on April 4, Obama promised consequences: “With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations.” UN Ambassador Susan Rice warned that the US would “send a strong message to North Korea that it can’t act with impunity.” After a nuclear test in late May, Obama said the US would “work with our friends and our allies to stand up to this behavior.” In a letter to the UN on October 1, the DPRK said that abandoning its nuclear program was “unthinkable even in a dream” and test-fired short range missiles several days later. And yet after all of this, President Obama holds a press conference in which he offers concessions and says “we want to break the pattern that existed in the past, in which North Korea behaves in a provocative fashion, and then is willing to return to talk … and then that leads to seeking further concessions.” Is it any wonder they don’t take our threats seriously?
