SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Buoyed by progress in its nuclear standoff, reclusive North Korea has begun reaching out to the world beyond its closed borders, forging formal relations with a series of countries and sending high-level delegations overseas.
The communist nation has opened or restored relations with five countries since July. Senior officials have visited Russia, southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East — a rare burst of international activity move by one of the world's most isolated nations.
Analysts say the main reason for the drive is that Pyongyang — branded as part of an "axis of evil" by President Bush — wants to show Washington it can behave like a "normal" country.
"North Korea had judged that the U.S. was squeezing its throat. But now, confidence is building as efforts to resolve the nuclear issue speed up," said Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.
Progress in the nuclear issue has enabled Pyongyang to focus on diplomacy with other countries because it is no longer preoccupied with fears that the U.S. is attempting to topple the regime, Kim said.
Pyongyang shut down its sole functioning nuclear reactor in July, and a team of U.S. nuclear experts is set to visit the North this week to start disabling the facility by year-end.
"By broadening its external relations, the North also wants to show the U.S. the look of a normal country," he said. "The idea is that: 'We've been so closed because of you, but if you go easy on us like this, we can also act like other ordinary countries.'"
In September, North Korea established diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, Swaziland, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. Pyongyang also has opened ties with Montenegro and in recent months restored relations with Myanmar and Nicaragua.
The North still does not have relations with the U.S., although it does with the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Britain, China, France and Russia.
On Monday, the North's main state-controlled Rodong Sinmun newspaper touted the expanding relations as a "great diplomatic success" and said the country wants to develop relations with any friendly countries that respect it.
"It has become an irresistible trend of the times that the international interest in the (North) is growing deep day by day and many countries wish to improve and develop their relations with" the North, the paper said.
The communist country has also sent several high-level delegations to foreign countries.
In July, the country's No. 2 leader, Kim Yong Nam, visited Mongolia, Russia, Algeria, Egypt, Singapore and Ethiopia. Since last week, the country's premier, Kim Yong Il, has been to Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos.
Although North Korea has diplomatic relations with 160 countries, it is still considered one of the world's most isolated nations, as most of its ties remain nominal and include only minimal trade and exchanges.
China is the only major ally of Pyongyang, and the North's trade with its neighbor accounts for more than half its total foreign trade.
The North's recent diplomatic rush may be aimed at silencing criticism from hard-line U.S. officials opposed to taking Pyongyang off Washington's blacklist of nations sponsoring terrorism, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul's University of North Korean Studies.
That has been a key demand of the North, which views the designation, which effectively bars it from taking out low-interest development loans from international lenders, as a sign of hostility.
Progress in the nuclear issue has even spawned friendly gestures between the two countries that fought in the 1950-53 Korean War.
The North's taekwondo demonstration team made its first-ever visit to the U.S. in September, and officials from the New York Philharmonic visited Pyongyang in October to consider a possible concert there next year.
This week, the U.S. Navy assisted the crew of North Korean cargo ship after they clashed with Somali pirates, sending a helicopter to the scene and treating wounded North Koreans on a U.S. destroyer.
Kim, the Dongguk University professor, said such moves echoed Washington's "pingpong diplomacy" with China that eventually led to then-President Richard Nixon's landmark 1972 visit to Beijing.
Still, he said, the key to normal Washington-Pyongyang ties will always lie with disarmament.
"Everything depends on the nuclear issue," Kim said.
The communist nation has opened or restored relations with five countries since July. Senior officials have visited Russia, southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East — a rare burst of international activity move by one of the world's most isolated nations.
Analysts say the main reason for the drive is that Pyongyang — branded as part of an "axis of evil" by President Bush — wants to show Washington it can behave like a "normal" country.
"North Korea had judged that the U.S. was squeezing its throat. But now, confidence is building as efforts to resolve the nuclear issue speed up," said Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.
Progress in the nuclear issue has enabled Pyongyang to focus on diplomacy with other countries because it is no longer preoccupied with fears that the U.S. is attempting to topple the regime, Kim said.
Pyongyang shut down its sole functioning nuclear reactor in July, and a team of U.S. nuclear experts is set to visit the North this week to start disabling the facility by year-end.
"By broadening its external relations, the North also wants to show the U.S. the look of a normal country," he said. "The idea is that: 'We've been so closed because of you, but if you go easy on us like this, we can also act like other ordinary countries.'"
In September, North Korea established diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, Swaziland, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. Pyongyang also has opened ties with Montenegro and in recent months restored relations with Myanmar and Nicaragua.
The North still does not have relations with the U.S., although it does with the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Britain, China, France and Russia.
On Monday, the North's main state-controlled Rodong Sinmun newspaper touted the expanding relations as a "great diplomatic success" and said the country wants to develop relations with any friendly countries that respect it.
"It has become an irresistible trend of the times that the international interest in the (North) is growing deep day by day and many countries wish to improve and develop their relations with" the North, the paper said.
The communist country has also sent several high-level delegations to foreign countries.
In July, the country's No. 2 leader, Kim Yong Nam, visited Mongolia, Russia, Algeria, Egypt, Singapore and Ethiopia. Since last week, the country's premier, Kim Yong Il, has been to Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos.
Although North Korea has diplomatic relations with 160 countries, it is still considered one of the world's most isolated nations, as most of its ties remain nominal and include only minimal trade and exchanges.
China is the only major ally of Pyongyang, and the North's trade with its neighbor accounts for more than half its total foreign trade.
The North's recent diplomatic rush may be aimed at silencing criticism from hard-line U.S. officials opposed to taking Pyongyang off Washington's blacklist of nations sponsoring terrorism, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul's University of North Korean Studies.
That has been a key demand of the North, which views the designation, which effectively bars it from taking out low-interest development loans from international lenders, as a sign of hostility.
Progress in the nuclear issue has even spawned friendly gestures between the two countries that fought in the 1950-53 Korean War.
The North's taekwondo demonstration team made its first-ever visit to the U.S. in September, and officials from the New York Philharmonic visited Pyongyang in October to consider a possible concert there next year.
This week, the U.S. Navy assisted the crew of North Korean cargo ship after they clashed with Somali pirates, sending a helicopter to the scene and treating wounded North Koreans on a U.S. destroyer.
Kim, the Dongguk University professor, said such moves echoed Washington's "pingpong diplomacy" with China that eventually led to then-President Richard Nixon's landmark 1972 visit to Beijing.
Still, he said, the key to normal Washington-Pyongyang ties will always lie with disarmament.
"Everything depends on the nuclear issue," Kim said.
6 comments:
This is good step for NK. It is not so healthy to get couk up at home.
This N Korea start up with a sharp idea,better than ah Hun Sen only kissing stinking Vietcong arse.
Shame on Ah Hun Shiet PM Cambodia
Well, Vietcong's arse is alot better than Ah Khmer-Yuon's arse.
To 9:09AM
How did you know and did you smell it? Ahahhahhahhahah!
You never learn from your mother. damn you.
Yes, 1:43, how else will you know about such thing? And you should do the same, instead of speculating.
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