Korea: Seoul (cautiously) opens to Pyongyang

Seoul – South Korea is ready to resume talks with North Korea if the latter stops its military provocations and allows inspections of its nuclear programme, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said in his New Year Speech. However, “If any aggression occurs, we will strongly respond,” the conservative leader added.

According to analysts, the content of the president’s speech reflects the fact that parliamentary and presidential elections are planned for this year in South Korea. Both he and his party, the Grand National Party, have been targeted for high inflation and the limited results of their North Korea policy.

Kim Jong-il’s death and the rise of Kim Jong-un are bad news with no changes in sight, at least on the short-run. The new leader “is expected to worsen inter-Korean relations as a distraction that will help his internal power building,” said Yoon Deok Min, a professor of North Korean studies at South Korea’s state-run Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security.

In his New Year Message, North Korea’s new dictator, reflects this mindset. An unsigned editorial urged his people to get ready for a year of “prosperity” if they become “human shields” to protect the new leader Kim Jong-un.

Half of North Korea’s 23 million people live below the poverty line.