(EDITORIAL from the JoongAng Daily on Jan. 2)

Frustrating editorial

The annual lengthy editorial was published in the North Korean regime???s Rodong
Sinmun newspaper yesterday. The publication is the official newspaper of the
military and young party members. The New Year editorial usually offers some
insight in the direction of the country???s policies at home and abroad.
This year???s piece made unusually frequent remarks about economic issues,
including the need for self-aided economic growth. It skipped the usual tirades
against the United States and its presence in South Korea and reaffirmed that it
would maintain a hard-line stance toward the Lee Myung-bak administration.
The North???s stance is more frustrating than ever before. Yesterday???s
editorial said Pyongyang will ???never tolerate any elements that deviate??? from
the principles of the June 15 and Oct. 4 joint declarations made at the two
Koreas??? summits in 2000 and 2007 with Seoul???s two former liberal presidents.
This policy means that the North is unlikely to make any major policy changes,
indicating that Pyongyang still is not ready to deal with the new administration
in Seoul.
Yet Seoul has been adopting an increasingly progressive tone to its policies on
the North over the past few months, slowly focusing more on dialogue with
Pyongyang. But the North is showing no signs of moving on. It???s like a hedgehog
with its prickles unfurled ready to puncture an approaching hand.
If the latest development is by any chance aimed at causing political disruptions
within Korea and weakening the public???s unity, as the North did during the Cold
War, it would be fair to call the editorial anachronistic.
We strongly urge the North to take constructive steps toward building better
inter-Korean ties. Seoul has to make an effort, too, to resume talks with
Pyongyang. Its political slogan ???improvement of inter-Korean relations based on
principles??? should be more than just an excuse to justify its lack of policies
aimed at thawing frozen inter-Korean ties.
The usual tirades and hostile remarks toward Washington were conspicuously absent
from yesterday???s editorial, indicating Pyongyang???s expectation that it can
build better Washington-Pyongyang ties with the incoming Obama administration.
This is a positive step since Obama has repeatedly emphasized a need for ???tough
and direct??? dialogue with Pyongyang. But such progress can be made only when
the North is willing and determined to unravel its nuclear issues with Washington
in a transparent way that leaves no questions unanswered.
(END)