http://worldmeets.us/images/kim-jong-un-clapping_pic.jpg

Kim Jong-un on New Year's Day: Are fresh U.S. sanctions over

Pyongyang's alleged hacking of Sony designed to cool warming

North-South ties?

 

 

New U.S. Sanctions on Pyongyang May Have Little to Do with Sony Hack (The Hankyoreh, South Korea)

 

"The problem is that the new sanctions may be motivated by American discomfort with sudden signs of movement in inter-Korean relations. … The sanctions suggest that the U.S. is not happy to see Pyongyang hold independent talks with neighboring countries, since that could blur the focus on the North's nuclear weapons and missile programs."

 

By Yi Yong-in

 

January 6, 2014

 

South Korea – The Hankyoreh – Original Article (English)

Following U.S. President Obama's Jan. 2 executive order imposing new sanctions on Pyongyang in connection with the Sony Pictures hacking, some analysts believe that the "American factor" could cast a pall on positive changes to inter-Korean relations. The U.S. move could be interpreted as a U.S. demand for the Seoul government to slow down efforts to improve relations with Pyongyang.

 

The effect these new sanctions will have on inter-Korean relations can be examined from three angles: how strong North Korea’s response will be, what the U.S. really hopes to achieve, and how the South Korean government will deal with the situation.

 

First, North Korea’s response to the sanctions hasn't been as intense as in the past.

 

During an interview with a reporter from the state-run Korea Central News Agency on Jan. 4, a North Korea Foreign Ministry spokesman would only repeat Pyongyang’s standard determination to preserve the dignity of the North Korean people and its even firmer resolve to maintain its independence.

 

"[The sanctions] make it clear that the United States continues to be unable to escape its inveterate antipathy and hostility toward North Korea," the spokesman said during the interview.

 

On Jan. 3, the Choson Sinbo, the official publication of Chongryun (a pro-North Korea association of ethnic Koreans in Japan) dismissed the sanctions as "ineffective," pointing out that the individuals and organizations included on the sanctions list aren't engaged in transactions with the United States.

 

This is a very mild response, especially considering remarks made by the Pyongyang authorities just weeks ago. When President Obama promised a "proportional response" to the Sony Pictures hack, the North Korean Defense Ministry Political Bureau issued a statement that threatened an "an all out retaliatory war" directed at the White House, the Pentagon, and the whole of the continental United States, which it called "cesspools of terrorism."

 

The problem is that the new sanctions may be motivated by American discomfort with sudden signs of movement in inter-Korean relations. On Dec. 29, the South Korean government abruptly proposed talks with Pyongyang, and on Jan. 1, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned the possibility of a summit with President Park Geun-hye.

 

To be sure, the United States doesn't want rising military tensions between North and South Korea. However, the sanctions suggest that the U.S. is not happy to see Pyongyang hold independent talks with neighboring countries, since that could blur the focus on the North's nuclear weapons and missile programs, which are key U.S. interests. The United States is concerned that such talks could undermine efforts to maintain a unified front with its sanctions-centered policy.

 

 

For these reasons, the U.S. government offered only tepid support for recent negotiations between Pyongyang and Tokyo over Japanese abductees and the visit of Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so and two other senior North Korean officials to South Korea last October.

 

On Dec. 29, when the South Korean government suggested talks with North Korea, the U.S. response was apathetic. American officials told South Korean reporters to direct their questions to Seoul, since it was taking the lead on the issue.

 

Furthermore, while Kim Jong-un during his New Year’s address expressed a forward-looking attitude on inter-Korean relations, he said nothing of the issue of denuclearization - an issue of key interest to the U.S. This indicates that in 2015, North Korea will continue its two-track policy of pursuing economic development and building its nuclear arsenal.

Posted By Worldmeets.US

 

U.S. concerns like these are also reflected on the sanctions list with the inclusion of the state-run Mining Development Trading Corporation, which is in charge of importing and exporting weapons - a company unlikely to have been connected with the hack.

 

With the U.S. asking Seoul to slow down an uptick in inter-Korean relations, the big question is how Seoul will decide to respond.

 

In the past, the general view is that that President Park has reluctantly followed America's lead on the issue of North Korea, nuclear weapons, unable to overcome the hard-line stance of the United States on the issue.

 

"It is unclear whether the South Korean government is willing to risk conflict with the U.S. to bring about an improvement in its relations with North Korea. Signs of change in inter-Korean relations may never get beyond rhetoric," said Kim Chang-soo, director of research at the Korea National Strategy Institute.

 

 

SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Le Monde, France: Sony's Only Hope of Redemption: Post 'The Interview' for World to See
Guardian, U.K.: North Korea Demands Joint Investigation into the Sony Hack - 'or Else'
Guardian, U.K.: VIDEO: North Korea 'Likely Not' Behind Sony Pictures Hack
Deadline, U.S.: Hollywood Cowards: Clooney Explains Why Sony Stood Alone
Telegraph,m U.K.: Sony Hack: Angelina Jolie Branded 'Seriously Out of Her Mind'
CNN, U.S.: VIDEOS: Hackers Tell Sony it Will 'Safeguard Data' if Movie is 'Never Released'
The DMZ War, U.S.: North Korea Infiltrated Agents to Strike U.S. Cities and Nuke Plants
BBC News, U.K.: Demise of 'The Interview': A Comedy of Terrors - in Four Acts
Guardian, U.K.: Sony Hack: a PR Car Crash from Which Firm May Never Recover
Guardian, U.K.: Hackers Who Targeted Sony Warn on '9/11 Attacks' on Moviegoers
Guardian, U.K.: Sony Orders News Outlets to Stop Reporting on Stolen Data
Guardian, U.K.: Sony E-mails Reveal Jennifer Lawrence Paid Less than Male Co-Stars

 

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted By Worldmeets.US Jan. 6, 2015 9:27am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Live Support