How Should the U.S. Respond to North Korea?
As we greatly anticipate the outcome of the U.S. Presidential Election in these next few days, North Korea is one topic on the table that has yet to be answered effectively. In the most recent presidential debate, each presidential candidate was asked, “Why do you think you would be able to address the North Korea threat?” White House Reporter, Kristen Welker, frankly asked President Trump if he saw the continual development of a nuclear arsenal in North Korea as a direct betrayal to his relationship with them.
President Trump responded that, “I have a very good relationship with them… We have a different kind of relationship… We have a very good relationship.” He inferred to his believe that North Korea would not do anything drastic. President Trump stated that the fact that there is no war, indicates that there is a good relationship between the U.S. and North Korea. However, the truth is that the U.S. and North Korea are, indeed, still at war. The Korean War is still on-going as it has been at a stand-still since the Armistice Agreement in 1953. It has been the longest standing war in American history.
Second 2020 US Presidential Debate
Kristen Welker then asked Former Vice-President Biden why he thinks he would be able to reign-in the situation. Vice-President Biden responded from a more hardline position. He wants to control North Korea, Biden stated. And, he agreed to meet them only, “On the condition that they would agree that they would be drawing down their nuclear capacity.” He basically took an all-or-nothing stance. North Korea has to come all the way towards denuclearization before the U.S. will acknowledge them. But why would North Korea risk and give up everything if there was no gesture of good faith on the part of the United States?
The bottom line is hard to stomach. Which response will actually prove effective in building peace? Most likely, neither. Negotiations thus far have failed. As promises made by the U.S. have yet to be carried through, trust has been broken, and North Korea no longer has any desire to meet with the United States. It is not likely that North Korea will agree to talk with the U.S. if there is no incentive for them to do so. Unfortunately, taking a hardline approach has also failed. It only encourages North Korea to continue standing strong in strengthening their resolve. As a result, their course of action is not likely to change in the near future.
My husband and I have spent over ten years living in the DPRK as humanitarian workers. We are not experts on North Korea. There is still much we do not know, and we have more to learn. However, we have actually lived day in and day out with the people. We have been immersed in their society and have been subjected to living under their system. If there is anyone who understands North Korea, even if from a limited degree, it is people like us who have spent time on the ground, in country building relationships with everyday North Koreans.
Unfortunately, we are still in the same position we were over two years ago when President Trump started engaging with the DPRK in 2018. The Singapore Summit was a potentially positive start to better relations. But as the U.S. then implemented a maximum pressure strategy to negotiations, talks failed. North Korea had no interest in being bullied by a world power that they had no reason for trusting. These futile tactics are a result of a lack of understanding of both North Korean history and culture, and it was what fueled my desire to write a book about my discoveries from living ten years in the DPRK.
As I state in my book, Discovering Joy: Ten Years in North Korea, I believe that talks with North Korea are largely unsuccessful because the two sides come from two different worlds. We neither speak each other’s language nor understand one another’s cultures. We interpret each other’s actions and intentions from our own perspectives without taking into consideration the other’s perspective. It is like we are shooting arrows away from our targets not because we cannot aim but because we’re confused about where our targets are (pg. 23-24).
Discovering Joy: Ten Years in North Korea by Joy Yoon
Christine Ahn, CEO of Women Cross DMZ and the recipient of the 2020 U.S. Peace Prize, states that “meeting or not meeting with the North Korean leader hasn’t been the failure of U.S. policy. And more pressure and sanctions will not convince North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons arsenal.” This is because what North Korea wants is an end to the Korean War. In their perspective, the only way they can get the U.S. to even care about ending the war is to put nuclear pressure on the United States.
Oppositely, the United States, for the most part, does not recognize the need to declare an end to the Korean War. Although support for House Resolution 152 is growing and is now supported by more than 50 Congressional members, there is still much work that needs to be done to end the war. The U.S., rather, wants North Korea to give up all nuclear weapons before they even discuss ending our close to 70 year-long conflict.
So then, what is the solution?
Meaningful peace talks only ever happen on the basis of mutual understanding. To get there we have to be able to come to the negotiating table on an equal footing. The first step towards all of this is simple engagement. Without engagement there cannot be negotiation or peace. As a wise counselor once said, all that is necessary for two parties headed in opposite directions to come together is the willingness to turn and head towards each other. [Excerpt from Discovering Joy: Ten Years in North Korea; pg. 25]
But engagement alone is not enough. It is a step in the right direction, but it also must be followed by putting the right action to our words. We have to come to a place of understanding where the other party is coming from, knowing what they want, and deciding how far we are willing go to achieve our goal of peace.
Peace. This, I believe, is a common goal we share with North Korea. As ironic as it may sound, I truly believe that both North Korea and the United States want peace. Neither party wants war, especially a nuclear war. If we can agree upon a shared desired outcome, then there must be a way to achieve it. One achievable step towards this is blatant. Pass House Resolution 152 and declare an end once and for all to the Korean War.