DPRK Forum

This article really bothered me, but it is not the fault of the writer. On the other hand, it is difficult to say what was said in private, but if it is true, leaves a very bad taste in my mouth:

Privately, the other participants in the Six Party Talks have expressed irritation at Japan’s obsession with the abduction issue. Now Japan fears that with the realistic prospect of a settlement, its greatest concern is being forgotten.

Yes, the negotiation process is very political, complex and maddening. What is clear is if the U.S. should remove North Korea from the list of sponsors of terror without resolving the abduction issues will certainly cause a rift in U.S.-Japanese relations. As Richardson pointed out in the comments in this posting:

The North loves driving wedges, be it between the U.S.-ROK, or U.S.-Japan.

And I have to agree with that. North Korea does know what it is at stake politically, and are not cooperating with questions on the abduction issue with Japan:

Discussion of such a measure has caused nervousness in Tokyo, which fears that in the gathering momentum of the North Korean nuclear talks the US will neglect Japan’s greatest concern - the fate of Japanese abducted by North Korea during the Cold War. Yesterday Japanese and US diplomats did their best to smooth over what threatens to become a divisive issue in the already complex negotiations.

So according to the TimesOnline, it seems the overall feeling of the Japanese abductions are only slowing things down and complicating the negotiating process. Yes, Kim Jong Il did admit to abducting Japanese citizens for carrying out acts of sabotage:

… After Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader, owned up to the abductions, five were returned, but his refusal to account for the fate of the rest has outraged Japanese public opinion.

And in my opinion, Japan should not be set aside to speed up the negotiations (if the sentiments are indeed true). There are are also charges of political points to be made if the negotiations are concluded, particularly when Bush leaves office. The DailyNK has another excellent article:

Furthermore the Sankei Shimbun analyzed that, “President Bush is hastening to resolve the issue with North Korea before the next year’s presidential election. “Disablement and full disclosure of North Korean nuclear facilities” is on the list of things to accomplish by the end of this year.

Of course there are political points to be made, and Bush wants this resolved. All parties involved want this resolved. I also think Bush has other things on his plate right now (growing discontent at home, the war on terror, scandals, a do-nothing congress, and a huge list of other stuff), and I also do not believe he wants the relations with Japan soured. Indeed, not everybody is going to get their way here other than North Korea.

North Korea is putting more focus on eliminating itself from the list of state sponsoring terrorism in order to attain the upper hand in the negotiation with the U.S.”

…and to gain the upper hand in driving wedges and take focus off the real issue which is the abduction issue. That is something not to be taken lightly as with the abductions conducted by North Korea against South Korea, Romania and other countries. Blowing up airplanes is not a very nice thing to do, and in my mind sets a bad precedent when dealing with other terrorists. Also, North Korea knows elimination from the list also means cheaper loans, and trade can be conducted easier (heroin, counterfeit cigarettes or missile parts anybody? Hello, Bueller?). All of this is stacking to North Korea’s favor, and they know this game very, very well.

No, I do not think Japan is obsessed over the abduction issue. This should be on the agenda, and North Korea should own up to past acts of asshattery; not just with Japan but against South Korea and other countries as well.

Will it slow things down? Yes. Will North Korea get mad? Of course. Should we back down and let them get their way all the time? It seems to be that way, but it should not. Let’s hope they do the right thing and do not put Japan’s issues aside. North Korea is not worth it. In fact, North Korea should not get anything at all without full disclosure and transparency. We all know that is not going to happen, so there is only one other solution…