The last post discussed the claim by some Korea watchers that the North has changed its basic foreign policy towards the United States, abandoning any interest in diplomatic relations with Washington.
This month, in what may be a related or unrelated development, Kim announced a dramatic change in the DPRK’s policy toward South Korea. Kim said the North will no longer seek peaceful reunification with the South. Instead, North Korea will treat South Korea as a separate and distinct country. The announcement reverses decades of long-established DPRK policy and surprised analysts from across the region.
Most observers greeted the news warily. Many wondered if it portends a possible deterioration in the already deficient North-South relationship. A political scientist or two suggested that, over the long run, agreeing to be separate countries might “normalize” relations between the two and actually stabilize the relationship. But at this point, it is difficult to know what the announcement means in practice or for the North’s long-term goals.