Washington, Seoul vows unity on DPRK

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-17 11:58

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak speaks as US President Barack Obama (back) looks on during joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington after their meeting in the Oval Office June 16, 2009. [Agencies]

WASHINGTON -- Washington and its allies face limited options in trying to halt the nuclear ambitions of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) despite US President Barack Obama's vow on Tuesday that Pyongyang will no longer be rewarded for provoking a crisis.

Joined by South Korea's leader at the White House, Obama promised to end a cycle of letting DPRK create a nuclear crisis, then granting such concessions as food and fuel to get it to back down, only to see it renege later on its promises.

Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak achieved a level of unity that eluded Washington and Seoul during the era of their predecessors, George W. Bush and Roh Moo-hyun, when Pyongyang exploited gaps between a tough US stance and accommodating South Korean policies.

"In the short run, that message is very powerful and sends a signal to the region that there's no daylight between the US and its allies," said Nicholas Szechenyi of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

But over time, he said, "There's always a pendulum swing from pressure to dialogue and there aren't too many other options."

The United States and South Korea, as well as other regional players, are committed to enforcing UN Security Council actions approved last week that aim to stop DPRK weapons shipments and tighten curbs on its finances.

DPRK, which last month conducted a nuclear explosion and missile tests in defiance of international pressure, said on the weekend it would start a uranium enrichment program and weaponize all its uranium in response to the new sanctions.

Negotiations Or War?

Analysts reckon those threats from Pyongyang might be accompanied in coming weeks by new challenges, such as a limited military fight along the two Koreas' land border or disputed maritime frontier.

Pyongyang's moves in recent weeks have made it easy for Washington to win support in endorsing the UN sanctions.

But as the crisis wears on, the question becomes: "How long can the Obama administration rally the international community in this tough approach and if Pyongyang fails to respond, what is the next step?" said Szechenyi.

Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation recommended Obama follow a "three-part menu" of punitive measures of various forms, attempts at negotiations, and defensive measures, including steps to expand and improve the US and allies' missile defense network.

A new study by the Center for a New American Security recommends bolstering US alliances in Asia, aggressive interdiction of DPRK shipping and close consultation with regional powers to prevent clashes from escalating.

But Washington must also create "on-ramps" to negotiations by combining coercive steps with incentives to draw Pyongyang back to the negotiating table, it said.