Establishment of a’anti-American frontline’ in close contact with North Korea and China… Dark clouds over the peace process on the Korean Peninsula

While the US offensive against North Korea and China with values ​​such as human rights and democracy ahead, North Korea and China are attracting attention by showing their close contact.

There are concerns that the Moon Jae-in administration’s initiative to reactivate the peace process on the Korean Peninsula by bringing North Korea into a forum for dialogue if North Korea and China further strengthen the existing cooperative relationship and establish an’anti-American front’.

This is because North Korea may be reluctant to actively engage in dialogue with the United States while increasing its dependence on China as an escape from diplomatic isolation, and China may also be reluctant to actively cooperate with the United States to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

The close movement between North Korea and China is confirmed when the fact that North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged oral friendships with the reinforcement of bilateral relations shortly after the bursting sound came out at high-level talks between the United States and China in Alaska on the 18th and 19th.

According to a report by the Chosun Central News Agency on the 23rd, Chairman Kim emphasized in an oral letter sent to President Xi that “the two parties, the Joseon Dynasty, and the two countries will strengthen unity and cooperation by coping with the all-round challenges and hindering tactics of the hostile forces.”

He added, “I am pleased with my own work that I am making remarkable achievements in the struggle to build a rudimentary wealthy society while firmly defending socialism amid the frantic slander and pressure of hostile forces.”

Although no specific country has been indicated, it seems that the term’hostile forces’ refers to the West and the United States. The United States recently criticized China by addressing human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang on the occasion of Secretary of State Tony Blingen’s visit to Korea last week.

Secretary Blincoln also fired a direct shot against North Korea, saying, “We continue to engage in systematic and widespread abuse of our own people.”

President Xi also said to Chairman Kim through a personal letter, “I want to work in partnership with North Korean comrades under a new situation to keep, solidify, and develop relations between North Korea and China.” It is read as doing.

In the end, it indicated that North Korea and China would respond in solidarity to the Biden administration’s criticism of North Korea and China.

From the perspective of North Korea, it is highly likely that the situation with the United States has deepened due to the recent break-up with Malaysia and more diplomatically isolated.

The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a breakup with Malaysia, which handed over North Korean businessmen residing in their country to the United States, and warned the United States that it would “pay a price.”

As the situation flows in the shape of North Korea and China confronting the United States together, the Korean government’s concerns are likely to deepen.

For the progress of the peace process on the Korean peninsula, dialogue between the United States must precede, because the possibility of North Korea choosing ‘confrontation’ instead of ‘conversation’ is increased, and the likelihood that China will passively appear in the ‘role of denuclearization’ of Korea and the United States is not small.

A diplomatic source said, “From our point of view, we may be in a situation where we have to consider how to promote the peace process on the Korean Peninsula while looking at the international situation within the big frame of the US-China conflict.”

Russia’s actions are also paying attention. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visits Korea this evening after solidifying ties with China.

Although it was a visit to Korea as part of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Russia, it is expected that Russia’s perception of the recent situation on the Korean peninsula can also be seen.

In particular, since President Biden answered “yes” to the reporter’s question whether he regarded President Vladimir Putin as a’killer’ in an interview, tensions in the mirror relations increased. have.

There is a possibility that the new Cold War composition between North Korea, China, Russia and Korea, the United States and Japan will become clearer if Russia joins the North and China. In this case, it is expected that the space for Korean diplomacy to move about North Korea policy will be further narrowed.

Jo Sung-ryul, an advisory researcher at the National Security Strategy Research Institute, said, “North Korea may want to create a confrontation between North Korea, China, Russia and the US-Japan in line with diplomatic interests,” and “(for our government) there is no need to get caught up in such intentions.”

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