“South Korea and US Urge North Korea for Diplomacy Amidst Criticism of Human Rights Record”

At a summit held in Washington on the 26th (local time), President Yoon Seok-yeol and US President Joe Biden urged North Korea to return to negotiations, saying, “We reaffirm our commitment to diplomacy with North Korea.” However, it seems unlikely that North Korea will respond in a situation where President Biden directly mentioned “the end of the regime” targeting North Korea and President Yoon shouted “peace through overwhelming superiority of power.”

In a joint statement, President Yoon and President Biden said, “We reaffirm our commitment to diplomacy with North Korea as the only means to achieve lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, and we urge North Korea to return to negotiations.”

In the current situation, there is a high possibility that South Korea and the US will stop at diplomacy and negotiations with North Korea. This is because the policy of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has been put on the back burner and the structure of nuclear confrontation is deepening. Last year’s joint statement stated that “the road to dialogue is still open” with North Korea, but this joint statement did not use the word ‘dialogue’ in relation to North Korea. In addition, President Biden confirmed the extended deterrence pledge against South Korea, saying, “A nuclear attack by North Korea on the United States, its allies, or partners is unacceptable,” and warned that if North Korea launches a nuclear attack, it will “cause the end of the regime.” did. It is the first time that President Biden has mentioned the end of the regime in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack. North Korea also believes that a military confrontation using the “new Cold War” structure of South Korea, the US, and Japan against North Korea, China, and Russia is advantageous in order to achieve the advancement of its nuclear force.

Although President Biden “reaffirmed South Korea’s support for the goal of the ‘Bold Idea’” in a joint statement, the possibility of realizing the bold idea is low. Even President Yoon said in an NBC interview published on the 25th that it is “unrealistic” to expect immediate negotiations with North Korea regarding the bold initiative, a roadmap for denuclearization of North Korea. President Yoon proposed a bold idea in his speech celebrating Liberation Day last August, but North Korea rejected it after four days.

The level of expression related to North Korean human rights has risen. In last year’s joint statement, it was said that they “expressed serious concerns about the human rights situation in North Korea,” but this joint statement contained content that “North Korea is blatantly violating the human rights and dignity of North Korean residents.” It also included the phrase that South Korea and the US would “strengthen cooperation to promote human rights in North Korea and resolve issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated POWs.”