The American Spectator

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The fact that North Korea is run by monsters does not mean that the West cannot or should not deal with it. Finding a negotiated settlement to the nuclear issue, however unlikely, would leave hope for an eventual transformation of the regime.

In contrast, demanding respect for human rights first means no solution to either security threats or human rights is imaginable. And harsh confrontation raises the risk of war, which would be disastrous to all concerned. "Pyrrhic" would hardly describe the sort of victory that would come out of such a conflict, with the ROK's capital of Seoul within range of North Korean artillery and Scud missiles.

However, the basis for any engagement or negotiations must be realism. North Korea is not like the usual authoritarian regime. Kim Jong-il is not like the usual authoritarian dictator. The evil of both transcends common human understanding.

"Six years ago, South and North Korea were not accustomed to face each other to discuss the issue of peace on the Korean peninsula," observes South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jong-sek. "But now, South and North Korea hold dialogue not only for bilateral issues, but also issues of international peace." Therefore, he adds, "we are at a time when we should take inter-Korean relations to the next level."

Actually, the most realistic goal would be to establish a normal relationship between the two Koreas -- where threats are absent, agreements are kept, and promises are believable. Until North Korea demonstrates its willingness to live by the minimal international standards expected of all countries, South Koreans need to lower their expectations. They can dream of negotiating reunification and discussing international peace, but they had better spend their time working to improve North Korean behavior in small ways. Expecting anything else out of Pyongyang today is rushing after fool's gold.

topics:
Military, North Korea