For months now, tensions between North Korea and its regional neighbours and the United States have been raised almost to the point where it seemed as if a military confrontation was inevitable. Now, following remarks by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, there is at last at least a glimmer of hope that both Washington and Pyongyang are stopping at the brink of an abyss, if not backing away from it.
Tillerson said on Saturday that the US is talking to North Korea and is exploring whether the regime of Kim Jong-un is interested in more direct formal contacts. Without giving too much away, the Secretary of State said: “We can talk to them. We do talk to them.” The reality is that given the war of words that has escalated between the White House and the Pyongyang regime, Tillerson’s confirmation is indeed a most welcome development. Tillerson’s remarks followed a day of meetings in Beijing where China expressed its dissatisfaction and concerns over the manner in which Washington and Pyongyang had been communicating. With barbs being traded between US President Donald Trump and Kim, the testy situation had deteriorated into a name-calling episode that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov likened earlier to a kindergarten spat.
Ever since Trump took office in January, the Pyongyang regime has ratcheted up regional tensions by firing a series of intercontinental ballistic missiles to test its capabilities of reaching the contiguous US. At the same time, Kim has accelerated his nation’s nuclear programme, testing devices and seeking to miniaturise a nuclear weapon to fit onto a ballistic missile. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump used terminology that clearly lacked a proper diplomatic tone and effectively threatened to annihilate the North Korean leadership and regime. There is a reality that any military action on the Korean peninsula will quickly escalate and will result in a terrible toll on the citizenry of both North and South Korea. Indeed, the tense situation meant that any miscalculation or mistake could and would inevitably lead to a full-blown military confrontation, with the potential of becoming a nuclear event — a prospect that can never be considered.
Tillerson’s remarks have at least shown now that there is a way forward. Kim’s regime is not going to abandon its pursuit of a credible nuclear option, and the only way to thwart that now is by talking and reaching some sort of verifiable agreement. At least now, that groundwork appears to be on the way, thankfully.
