[Editorial]
The July 28th-29th’s DPRK-USA high level talk in Manhattan, New York seems both historic and productive in the following reasons:
1) The newly-rebuilt (since fall 2009), undeterred (under any circumstances) thereby incomparably strong (than any other times in their sixty years-old bilateral relations) China-DPRK strategic alliance seem to have finally yielded political breakthrough to lay the foundation for the lasting peace and security both in Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia region;
2) DPRK’s never-bending (to any unjust pressures from outside) but self-determined principles in strategic issues, while tactically wise and flexible in dealing with US’ abnormalities (i.e., arbitrary, arrogant, cunning, deceptive, hypocritical, nefarious, obnoxious, reckless, self-righteous, therefore imperial), seem to have forced Obama administration drop its so-called policy of “strategic patience” after all;
3) If all those premises which had been already agreed upon in the Six Party Talk’s “9.19 Declaration” in 2005 were to be realized, the history of DPRK-USA confrontation which has continued over last 60 years may come to an end. In other words, an eventual closure to that unprecedented confrontations (by two different extreme entities from each other in all aspects) might be realized within a foreseeable future.
As many predict, it could happen before next fall when President Obama enters into his final reelection campaign.
The July NY dialogue has been much expected since the successful January 18th-20th’s China-USA Summit between Presidents Hu and Obama in Washington, D.C. Therefore, both dialogues could be characterized as some of the strategically-attempted (projected) outcomes from the evermore strengthened China-DPRK relations which once had gone down to a very low level such as in mid 2009.
The NY bilateral meeting seems to have pushed further the probability of already-much-discussed “Peace Conference” (among the four parties, i.e., North & South Korea, China, USA) where the much-awaited and long-overdue Peace Treaty between DPRK (China) and USA (South Korea) could be most likely signed in. A historic moment may be realized sometime soon.
If that historic moment comes, a permanent peace and security for the region and the peninsula could be finally realized not too far down the road, though the opportunity has yet been fully developed! Therefore, all the parties should remain in constant readiness to deal with both predictable and unpredictable hurdles which might ambush for them until a legally-binding official Peace Treaty sealed off.
Until the permanent peace and security mechanism both in the Korean peninsula and the Northeast Asia region is firmly rooted, and until all the other remaining fundamental issues such as the presence of US troops in SK, US “nuclear umbrella policy” over SK, US-Japan-SK tripartite military alliance, US missile defense (MD) issues, etc., finally settled, all the safety mechanisms must not be put aside at any moment!
Dr. Kiyul Chung who is Editor in chief at the 4th Media is also a Visiting Professor at School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University.