New moves on the Korean peninsula

(Baonghean) - Expectations for the future of relations between the two Koreas are showing many positive signs in the first days of 2015. Responding to the New Year's message about holding "highest-level" talks with South Korea by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, yesterday, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye said she is willing to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without preconditions. Whether these moves will open up a new signal in relations between the two Koreas or not cannot be confirmed soon.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye speaks at the Blue House on New Year's Day.

During a New Year's press conference held at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye said she is willing to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if it helps promote inter-Korean relations. Park also said that there are no preconditions for the meeting, but that North Korea needs to have an open and sincere attitude towards resolving outstanding issues through dialogue. In addition, the South Korean President also emphasized that if the two sides do not work towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, they will not be able to discuss peaceful reunification and this issue needs to be resolved through inter-Korean or multilateral dialogue channels. Ms. Park Geun-Hye said that the two sides need to soon resume reunions of families separated during the Korean War (1950-1953), and at the same time asked the North Korean side to have an open attitude when discussing the organization of family reunion events on the occasion of the upcoming traditional New Year.

Right after the New Year's message that both leaders issued not long ago, it can be said that the latest constructive statement by the South Korean leader is lighting up many hopes for improving relations between the two Koreas. In fact, positive signals in the relationship between the two Koreas have been kindled since the last days of the year. At the end of December, South Korea also proactively proposed to hold high-level dialogue with Pyongyang this January and organize a reunion of families separated by the Korean War before the Lunar New Year in February. Along with that, South Korea also announced that it would provide North Korea with $620,000 in aid through the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

With what is happening, it is not difficult to explain the public's expectations for improving inter-Korean relations. Many analysts have also expressed confidence in the efforts of both sides, saying that 2015 will be the most appropriate time for the two sides to mend relations. Dr. Jang Yong-seok of the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, Seoul National University, said that improving inter-Korean relations is one of the most important agendas of 2015. Moreover, this is also a political issue, because 2015 is the third year of President Park Geun-Hye's term, if the situation of inter-Korean relations does not progress, the pressure on the current President will be even greater. Another reason is that 2015 is a special year, with important historical significance, marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean peninsula from Japanese colonial rule.

On the North Korean side, the Institute of Oriental Studies at Kyungnam University in North Korea also recently said that the DPRK government may announce a new policy vision for economic and political issues in the context of the country stepping up efforts to open a new era under leader Kim Jong-un. In particular, one of the foreign policies in the Kim Jong-un era may include efforts to mend relations with neighboring countries.

Although the moves between the two Koreas are considered a “breath of fresh air” to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with two countries that have so many disagreements like South Korea and North Korea, it is difficult for anyone to make an accurate prediction for the path of a “new history” between the two regions this year. Many times, negotiations between the two regions have failed for very simple reasons when they seemed to have reached their destination. The eternal reason is the factor of trust. Therefore, in addition to expectations for improving this relationship, analysts say that, in addition to improving economic relations, the most important thing is that the two countries must shorten the gap in stance and trust. Without building trust, both South Korea and North Korea will find it difficult to improve the current situation.

Thanh Hien