How will South Korea resolve North`s nuclear weapons program

North Korea’s nuclear program has a lot of differences in its character from Iran’s nuclear program, for which Washington has reached a deal after long and patient negotiations with Tehran. Because of this, challenges are expected in the future to resolve North Korean nuclear issue even though the international community puts pressures and zeroes in on the communist regime’s nuclear program. The North had signed the Agreed Framework in Geneva with the U.S. in 1994, which is similar to Thursday’s historic nuclear agreement. Nevertheless, the communist regime developed nuclear program in secret and violated denuclearization agreements several times, including six-party talks on North Korea`s nuclear program and the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement. While carrying out nuclear tests three times, the North does not hesitate to make a threat of an atomic war swearing it would not give up the nuclear program.

“More creative and multidimensional solution must be pursued to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue,” said South Korean President Park Geun-hye at a meeting with think tank representatives in New York in September last year. However, the South Korean government has never produced any pragmatic solution, just repeating the rhetoric of "zero tolerance on North Korean nuclear program." Seoul verbally warned at the summit between South Korea and China by saying that the North Korea’s nuclear program will never be allowed, which is not enough. The Park administration is now discussing with other six-party members except for North Korea over how to resume the six-party talks on the so-called "Korea Formula" initiative. Although discussion is going on to have a talks among five parties to test the water, it has made little headway. Just as Iran has come forward to the nuclear negotiation table to get out of economic sanctions, the related parties must search for ways to enhance the effectiveness of sanctions and pressures on North Korea. Even though the U.N. poses sanctions on Pyongyang, North Korea is not likely to be desperate for the negotiations in case Beijing helps Pyongyang ease its economic difficulties. The nuclear negotiation can be successful only when North Korea realizes that it will lose everything and cannot survive without abandoning the nuclear weapons.

The biggest momentum behind Iran nuclear framework is Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who has promised not to develop nuclear weapons to the world, and persuaded the public that he will lift up economic sanctions through negotiations. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, however, is hard to forecast unlike his late father Kim Jong Il whether the junior Kim can make such pragmatic judgment as the Iranian president did. The South Korean government must utilize every possible channel to persuade and pressurize the most reclusive regime. Seoul also needs to strengthen collaboration with China and Russia to deal with the North Korean issues.

The U.S. has concluded the nuclear deal with Iran despite strong opposition from Israel, Washington’s long-standing ally. The Park Geun-hye administration must strengthen ties with the U.S., to avoid reoccurrence of a similar occasion when Washington and Pyongyang make progress in the nuclear negotiations. Rather than leaving North Korea unchecked to increase nuclear warheads, Seoul needs to resume the six-party talks right now to invite Pyongyang to the negotiation table. More than anyone else, South Korea’s National Security Office Chief Kim Kwan-jin needs to exercise leadership in the process to resolve North Korean nuclear issue.