All Koreans Share
the Same 'Resistance to External Influence'
By
sticking by its military alliance with the United States, is South Korea
missing the obvious? According to this editorial from China's state-run Global
Times, South Korea should reconsider its position and remember that the
"South and North are one people" that share many of the same
characteristics - one of those being a reluctance to "succumb to external
influence" - including Beijing's.
South Korea has rejected
China's proposal to restart Six-Party Talks. Radical emotions are leading South
Koreans astray. While it's true that Six-Party Talks could ease tensions on the
Korean Peninsula, it seems as if South Korea first needs to vent its anger.
South Koreans are
demonstrating almost unanimous toughness, which isn't normal for that country. But
the South Korean ministries of foreign affairs and trade should have the wisdom
and insight which is clearly absent among Netizens.
With an overall national
strength much stronger than the North's and defense assistance from the United
States, South Korea shouldn't be as concerned about security issues as the
North. The probability of a massive invasion from the North is almost zero.
While China cannot help South
Koreans vent their anger, it sincerely wants to assist in easing tensions on the Peninsula
and wishes to find ways of defusing the crisis. By not agreeing to talks, the
South Korean government showed its reluctance to support China. Seoul decision makers
probably believe that in the short term, opposing a pragmatic solution entails
much smaller political risk.
Since the United States
declared its return to Asia, the frequency of clashes on the Peninsula has risen.
Instead of reflecting on this, South Korea has become even more obsessed with
its military alliance with the U.S., which has proven faulty at best. Seoul and
Washington want to pull Beijing to their side and think that once China gets
tough, North Korea will behave. But such logic is quite ludicrous.
People from the South and
North are one people. South Koreans clearly share the Korean temperament of
sticking to independent choices and being reluctant to succumb to external influence.
Isn't Pyongyang's
decisiveness in the face of demands by external powers also part of the South
Korean character? Does South Korea really believe the North would submit to
pressure? The illusion of forcing North Korea to yield has plagued Northeast
Asia for years and inhibits the region from taking advantage opportunities to
solve the Korean deadlock.
There is no simple solution
to the complex Korean issue. Saying that China should blockade North Korea to
make it succumb is not only self-deceiving, it is a humiliation to the entire
Korean people.
As long as the people in this
region don't want blood-and-iron policies to reshape the Peninsula and engage
in another war, the only pragmatic solution remains to sit down and compromise together
for a lasting peace.
