Six-party talks: can S. Korea take surprising move?

As the fourth-round six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue resumed, the international community again focuses its attention on Korean Peninsula, the recent moves of the Republic of Korea (ROK) has all the more attracted people's attention.

Among the six parties attending the talks, the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are the main parties concerned, while China is playing the role as a "mediator", Japan and Russia, in most cases, acting in concert and coordination.

The status of the ROK is relatively special. On the one hand, to a certain degree, the ROK stands opposite to the DPRK, because the USA, as the adversary of the PDRK, has 37,000 troops stationed in the ROK and these troops are aimed mainly at Pyongyang. It can be said that the ROK has provided a platform for Washington to contain Pyongyang, so that the latter is faced with the actual threat of being besieged by enemy troops. The joint military exercises launched recently by the US and the ROK met with the lash-out by the DPRK.

On the other hand, the DPRK and the ROK belong to the same nation, which has become a split country, unification is the common goal of the two sides, their differences are only a matter of how and when to bring about unification. This bond of blood makes it impossible for outsiders to feel the kinships and interlinks between the DPRK and the ROK. Owing to this complicated relationship of both gratitude and resentment between the DPRK and the ROK, on some issues, their stands are opposite, while on some other issues, their stands are identical.

The relations between the ROK and the US are unusual. The ROK is a military ally of the US, so their relationship naturally is extraordinary, besides, their social systems are same, so their mutual trust and interdependent relations are rather deep, which makes communications fairly easy. But this does not mean that the US and the ROK are on very intimate terms with each other. The general public of South Korea has deepening resentment against US stationing troops and dissatisfaction over US connivance at Japan's arms expansion. On the question of policy toward Pyongyang, the ROK disapproves of US high-handed and blockade policy and stands for solving differences through consultations.

China plays a major role on the Korean Peninsula nuke issue and exerts a vitally important part in promoting trialogue and six-party talks and preventing the Korean nuke issue from running out of control. In exerting its influence on the Korean nuclear issue, China mainly relies on its friendly relations with the DPRK and the US as well as its constructive stand of upholding justice and trying to make peace and promote talks, that is to say, relying mainly on its political influence.

On the Korean nuclear issue, the ROK has these advantages: it has sentimental consonance with the DPRK and psychological mutual trust with the United States. Consonance makes the ROK willing to speak for the DPRK and in defense of the latter's interests; mutual trust makes the US heed and understand S. Korea's concern; Pyongyang's concern, after being "processed" by the ROK, can become Seoul's concern. The ROK has gradually showcased this influence along with the deepening of the six-party talks.

According to the information divulged by various parties, solution to the Korean nuke issue is presently faced two major knotty problems: one is the implication of "denuclearization", i.e., whether or not denuclearization includes Pyongyang's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy; second is "denuclearization"-related measures, including how to solve N. Korea's security concern and how to give it compensation. It can be seen from S. Korean leaders' recent expression of attitude that the ROK proposed under definite condition, the DPRK be given the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, this removes its stand farther from the stance of the United States; while on the question of compensation, prior to the current round of six-party talks, the ROK took the initiative to state that it would provide the DPRK with two million kilowatt power-generating capacity, this is not exactly the same as the US stand which insists on denuclearization first and then compensation. Not long ago, ROK foreign minister conducted shuttle diplomacy with countries like the United States and China, indicating that the ROK is prepared to play a greater role in the second stage of the fourth-round talks.

Peacefully solving the Korean nuclear issue through consultations conforms to the common interests of various countries in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. After the six-party talks on the Korean nuke issue enter the crucial stage, the unique position of the ROK may even play a very great role. A greater role to be played by the ROK will help reduce pressure on China in its diplomatic mediation and coordination of the stands of various parties and increase the hope for success in the six-party talks, and so it is an act worth welcome.

This article by special commentator Yu Fei of the Global Times is published on this newspaper September 12 and translated by People's Daily Online