Letters | Biden has to work more closely with South Korea to engage the North
Indeed, a robust and flexible alliance is the best diplomatic card to deal with North Korea. So far, the Biden administration has signalled respect for the US-South Korea relationship. Joe Biden earlier promised that he wouldn’t be “extorting Seoul with reckless threats to remove our troops” and seems to be in favour of striking a more realistic troop burden-sharing agreement. His top diplomat pick Antony Blinken’s emphasis on reviewing the relationship is also a good sign.
02:32
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vows to strengthen nuclear arsenal as party congress closes
It is from the top, and only the top, that consequential decisions are made in the totalitarian North. The “buck”, in other words, starts and stops at the most senior level of leadership in Pyongyang: Kim Jong-un. Using summits to push for the denuclearisation of North Korea has only been explored for two years, compared to conventional diplomacy for denuclearisation, which has been used for over two decades.
It’s time to combine maximum engagement with maximum pressure, in close coordination between the US and South Korea.
Thomas Byrne, president and CEO, The Korea Society, New York City