The Biden era began with the inauguration of US President Joe Biden on the 20th. President Biden promised to rebuild the United States through unity, saying, “The United States is a country with hope, light and infinite possibilities.” Secretary of State Tony Blincoln, a key staff member of Biden’s foreign and security policy, stressed at a Senate personnel hearing on the 19th that “the overall approach and policy towards North Korea should be reviewed.” Donald Trump’s administration’s denuclearization talks were downplayed by saying “it got worse.” It is a declaration that it will break the’top-down’ method and switch to a new approach such as’bottom-up’. However, when it comes to China’s policy, “(Trump’s) basic principles are correct”, suggesting the sustainability of the public’s hard-line policy.
In time for the inauguration of the Biden administration, President Moon Jae-in replaced the foreign minister with Eui-yong Eui-yong, former head of the National Security Office of the Blue House. Since 2018, he has traveled back and forth between North Korea and the U.S. and has held the U.S.-North Korea summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un. The Blue House pointed out that Candidate Chung was deeply involved in coordination of issues between Korea and the United States and negotiations with the US. If so, it has revealed a contradictory beat with the United States, who professed a major operation in the existing North Korea policy. It is questionable how Candidate Jung, who directed the top-down show, will keep pace with the US bottom-up transition.
Candidate Jung expressed his willingness to change policy toward North Korea, saying, “I will do my best to make the peace process on the Korean Peninsula take root.” In any case, there should not be an immorality in which Korea’s unchanging will clash with the US’s demand for change. In particular, it is difficult to repeat the mistake of using North Korea policy as an event like the inter-Korean summit in October 2007 at the end of the Roh Moo-hyun administration’s term of office. At that time, the inter-Korean summit left many aftereffects, including controversy over the talks of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) without any benefit.
The Biden administration is calling for a change in North Korea policy. In order to pressurize and persuade the Kim Jong-un regime to lead to nuclear abolition, we must strengthen our defense capabilities and keep pace with the United States and not delay sanctions on North Korea. In addition, China must be wary of expansionism. We must be able to actively participate in the US-centered’democratic summit’ and speak to China.
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