[사설] ‘Complete North Korea’s denuclearization’ reconfirmed in the quad

Quad’s first ever summit meeting of four countries in the Indo-Pacific, including the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, was held on the 12th. The biden administration reaffirmed the goal of’complete denuclearization of North Korea’ while discussing cooperation plans for China’s strategy led by the Biden administration. [워싱턴=UPI 연합]

Large diplomatic events that can have a profound impact on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the environment in Northeast Asia will be held one after another this week. Last weekend, the first summit of four quad countries, including the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, was held by video, and this week, the US Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense will visit Japan and South Korea in turn. On the 18th, Secretary of State Tony Blincoln will meet with the Communist Party member Yang Jietsu, the Chinese diplomatic command tower, in Alaska. This is because the Biden administration of the United States has set a large direction for the foreign strategy that has been contemplated for more than 50 days since its inauguration and started to implement it in earnest.

It is highly appreciated that last weekend’s joint statement at the Quad Summit stated that “we reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.” This is because it predicts that it will be reflected in the results of the review of the new US policy toward North Korea, which will be revealed within a few weeks. It is true that public-private experts from various positions participated in the Biden administration’s review of North Korea policy, and observations of various spectrums were raised about the results. What is clear, however, is that the Biden administration will never compromise on the end of the North Korean nuclear issue. It is foretold that the Biden administration will not adopt the implicit acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear weapons or disarmament negotiations based on this, which North Korea will have expectations.

The simultaneous visit by the US Secretary of State and Defense, scheduled for the 17th, is an opportunity for the US and the ROK to make final coordination before the Biden administration’s review of North Korea policy is finalized. It is never advisable for the South Korean government to propose a premature easing of sanctions against North Korea and make a mistake in ROK-US cooperation. For complete denuclearization, cooperation from the international community is urgently needed. With the advancement of North Korea’s nuclear armament level, it is no longer possible to repeat trials and errors. The Biden administration is devising a strategy to pressure and persuade North Korea by drawing in China and Russia on the basis of the solidarity between South Korea, the United States, and Japan. The starting point of the ROK-US cooperation should not be shaken. The government should actively participate in the formalization of the trilateral cooperation between the two countries, which the Biden administration is trying to restore. We must not show North Korea’s notice and take his feet out again.

Cooperation and participation in the Biden administration’s strategy toward China is also necessary. In the big picture, if the US’s foreign strategy is not recognized and cooperation is sought only on the issue of the Korean peninsula, the results will inevitably be limited. In that regard, it is quite inappropriate that the first Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-Geon last week expressed a negative view of Korea’s participation in Quadplus. This is the time when it is urgently required to recognize that each discussion and movement taking place among the great powers around the Korean peninsula is directly connected to our destiny.