US holds South Korea back from falling into North Korea's arms

While North Korea and South Korea are trying to open the path to reconciliation and dialogue, the US - with the appearance of US Vice President Mike Pence - seems to be trying to find every way to keep the North Korea issue from going off track.

Historic handshake between Moon Jae-in and Kim Yo-jong (Sky News)

Rekindling hope for reconciliation

The images that are spreading rapidly online these days are not only the images of South Korean and North Korean athletes marching together at the PyeongChang Olympics Opening Ceremony under a unified flag, but also the images of host country President Moon Jae-in shaking hands with Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-in.

The handshake was described as “historic”, in a “historic” visit as it was the first time a member of Mr. Kim Jong-in's family had visited South Korea since the Korean War (1950-1953).

As analysts predicted that Ms. Kim Yo-jong would bring a special message from her brother to South Korea, during the reception of President Moon Jae-in's North Korean delegation at the Blue House, Ms. Kim Yo-jong conveyed an invitation to Mr. Moon Jae-in to visit Pyongyang "at the earliest possible time" to attend the 3rd Inter-Korean Summit.

In a letter to Mr. Moon Jae-in, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also expressed his willingness to improve inter-Korean relations, so that South Korea and North Korea can get closer together as desired by the people of the two countries.

If President Moon Jae-in accepts Kim Jong-un's invitation, it will be the first inter-Korean summit in more than 10 years, marking a historic turning point in relations between the two sides after years of tension.

The openness of North Korea has fueled speculation about Kim Jong-un’s intentions. Some believe he wants to find a way out of the harsh sanctions, while others believe he wants to take advantage of a “quiet period” to perfect his missile program. There are even conspiracy theories that he is “temporarily satisfied” with the progress in his country’s nuclear and missile programs.

It is difficult to know exactly what Kim Jong-un is thinking, but whatever it is, his decision creates a rare opportunity to unite the two Koreas, a bright spot in a place that has always been covered by the dark cloud of "nuclear".

That is why people still describe the PyeongChang Olympics as “a sporting event that opens up opportunities for reconciliation and dialogue.”

America tries to "counterbalance"

The message of "coming closer together" that North Korea brought to South Korea was illustrated by a large orchestra, a female band, a cheering squad from North Korea, then the joint women's team of the two countries, a common flag with the image of the Korean peninsula in blue on a white background...

While South Korea and North Korea both expressed joy at these developments, the US, like a "third party" standing by, felt uncomfortable with this sudden and unusual detente.

Ever since US Vice President Mike Pence led the US delegation to the PyeongChang Olympics, public opinion has speculated that he carries a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, which is to keep South Korea from falling into the arms of North Korea.

Mike Pence’s intentions were made clear through his statements and schedule during his stay in South Korea. Just before the PyeongChang Olympics began, Mike Pence announced that the US would soon impose “unprecedentedly tough” sanctions on North Korea.

US Vice President Mike Pence (far right) avoided interacting with the North Korean delegation at the opening ceremony of the Pyeong Chang Olympics (ABC News)

Then, when he arrived in South Korea, he continued to reaffirm that the US and its allies would always be united in their efforts to isolate North Korea both diplomatically and economically until the country abandoned its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

He also visited the Cheonan Memorial in Seoul, which displays the wreck of a South Korean naval ship believed to have been torpedoed by a North Korean torpedo in 2010, and had a private meeting with four North Korean defectors who came to South Korea.

While the South Korean President expressed a warm welcome to the North Korean delegation, Mr. Mike Pence had to try to appear indifferent, absolutely not having any interaction with the North Korean delegation representatives in events that both sides had to attend.

Besides the Olympic matches, there is also a non-sporting but equally attractive match: the propaganda match between the US and North Korea.

The US clearly understands that North Korea is trying to promote the message of “Peace Olympics” in order to gain “normal” recognition from the international community through this sporting event.

Meanwhile, South Korea also sees the resumption of direct contact and dialogue between the two Koreas through the Olympics as a way to lead to a political solution to the North Korea issue. And it is Mike Pence's job to prevent that scenario.

For the US, North Korea cannot be a “normal country” if it continues to pursue its ambition of possessing nuclear weapons, and it is even more impossible for the US to only play the role of “witness” while South Korea and North Korea seek solutions among themselves.

Korea's dilemma

Diplomatically, by sending an athletic delegation to the PyeongChang Olympics as well as sending his sister Kim Yo-jong to South Korea, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has tried to show his seriousness in seeking to improve inter-Korean relations.

But according to analysts, in addition to "extending an olive branch" to South Korea, North Korea continues to show hostility towards the US - a move that is seen as an attempt to erode the US-North Korea alliance.

US Vice President Mike Pence has been trying hard to keep North Korea's propaganda campaign from derailing the international community's approach to the country's nuclear issue, but things appear to be going in a direction the US does not want.

Mr. Mike Pence affirmed that the US and South Korea completely agree on the need to maintain sanctions pressure on North Korea, but this is only a one-sided statement.

Meanwhile, if he is determined to pursue the path of reconciliation and dialogue, first of all promoting an inter-Korean summit in North Korea, Mr. Moon Jae-in will have to find a way to "dodge" the common strategy that the US wants the two countries to pursue together.

Will the message of inter-Korean reconciliation come true? (Global Research)

The difficulty for Mr. Moon Jae-in is to combine his own desire for dialogue with North Korea - a policy that he has always tried to promote since taking office - with the policies of the US and other relevant parties.

Therefore, instead of directly responding to Kim Jong-un's invitation to North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is trying to promote dialogue between the US and North Korea on the sidelines of the Olympics.

Although the US and North Korea have continuously made tough statements against each other, up to this point, no one has been able to confirm whether a meeting between Mr. Mike Pence and the representative of the North Korean delegation will take place or not.

From now until the end of the Olympics, people are still waiting to see how Mr. Moon Jae-in will manage in the US-Korea-North Korea triangle.