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Sun, August 20, 2017 | 12:51

Opinion > Columnists > Stephen Costello >

Rare opportunity for South Korea in dealing with Pyongyang

It now seems clear that the White House, having provoked the current crisis with North Korea, is unable to diffuse it for very long. Some hope for a clever and surprising twist to US tactics that would achieve the North’s backing down and the US victorious. Yet not one official in the current US administration has said anything to indicate that planning is underway to return to a deal, trading DPRK weapons capabilities for diplomatic ties, credible security, and access to economic development. That is the only deal that would attract North Korea, since it has pursued these goals for 20 years...

Stephen Costello | 2017-08-18 17:09

It is now Seoul's move

U.S. President Trump has now attempted to take on the North Koreans in the game of colorful and exaggerated rhetoric. As expected, this is not going well for him. After his latest statement, hardened specialists have turned to dark humor. A contest is underway to choose the right ingredients for a new “fire and fury martini.” Making dinner, some are promising to create a dish “the likes of which the world has never seen.” And so on. It’s one thing when a paranoid and isolated regime uses extreme rhetoric; quite another when the most powerful commander-in-chief does. The more serious reasons ...

Stephen Costello | 2017-08-13 17:22

With Pyongyang, UN role is critical

Lima - Two mornings ago, my daughter and I climed Huayna Picchu in the Peruvian Andes. This is the steep mountain often pictured behind Machu Picchu. I feel lucky to have survived. The trail is unforgiving, and there are no guardrails. Now safely in Lima, we’ve been talking with our hosts about political legitimacy, tragic histories, and the responsibility of governments. The American president is a laughingstock here. The only story from Asia in the local paper is about China’s refusal to follow US demands regarding Corea Del Norte.

Stephen Costello | 2017-07-30 17:22

Why not tell Trump the truth?

It is easy to see why many policymakers in Korea think the regional and global environments are not supportive of President Moon Jae-in’s increasingly detailed engagement overtures to DPRK leader Kim Jong-un. US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in particular seem dead-set against tension reduction and diplomatic initiatives. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who could be helpful, is instead committed to using economic warfare against Seoul over the THAAD deployment.

Stephen Costello | 2017-07-16 16:20

Moon survives Trump treatment

We should probably give President Moon Jae-in the benefit of the doubt. No amount of preparation can ensure that a foreign leader will escape the random and unpredictable urges of President Donald Trump. Just ask Angela Merkel, Malcolm Turnbull, or Xi Jinping, to name a few. The treatment of Moon by the US president and his advisors on trade issues, as well as on military burden-sharing and policy toward North Korea, should be a scandal. But we have lowered the bar for behavior by Trump and his team, so such disrespect and tone-deafness are pretty much to be expected. The South Korean Presid...

Stephen Costello | 2017-07-03 17:17

In defense of Moon Chung-in

Professor Moon Chung-in has been at this a long time. I met him in Washington at the beginning of the Kim Dae Jung administration almost 20 years ago. We know each other, but have rarely met. I’ve been expecting him to bring a muddled message to Washington, trying to please everyone, but I have been surprised. Moon is making several key points to his US counterparts and audiences. And he is providing a valuable service to his US hosts, helping them to see how South Korea’s new government views it’s and the US’s interests right now. Just as important, he is exposing views among US policy spec...

Stephen Costello | 2017-06-20 17:31

Real hardliners on North Korea

The real hardliners in Korea and the US over the past 20 years have been progressives. The real enablers of North Korean nuclear and missile programs have been conservatives. This is not difficult to figure out. Yet somehow, most journalists and commentators remain in the dark about the meaning of their loaded and revealing word choices. Today they also describe progressive policies as “sympathetic” toward North Korea or appeasement toward China. Now that true hardliners are back in office, at least in South Korea, it’s time to remember why that is. Any definition of “hardline” policy, with ...

Stephen Costello | 2017-06-18 17:33

Senator Durbin, THAAD, and Korea

“It’s my fear that he thinks - I hope I’m wrong - that [Moon] thinks that South Korea has a better chance working with China to contain North Korea than working with the United States,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told the Washington Examiner. The Examiner is a right-wing conservative paper. They were thrilled to be able to quote a top Democrat criticizing the new progressive South Korean President. Senator Durbin’s view is misplaced, uninformed and counter-productive. It also reveals a misunderstanding of U.S. interests. It is, however, in line with the evolving views among me...

Stephen Costello | 2017-06-12 17:59

Will Moon put Korea first?

For years Korean leaders have been challenged to act with the confidence of a rising middle power. The Moon administration is now facing the same challenge, at a time when both the U.S. and China are seeking to bully it and constrict is flexibility. If Korea succumbs to its ally’s “America First” push, and its neighbor’s “China First” insistence, that would not be surprising, but it would waste a great opportunity.

Stephen Costello | 2017-05-24 16:56

Moon needs 'carrot and stick' for N. Korea

Why Trump is losing this game

If it were not so serious, much of the US posturing toward China and the two Koreas in past months would be humorous. But it is serious, far more so than most observers acknowledge. The “stern father” language and demeanor of the amateurs who are now making and promoting US policy is based on a misreading of recent history and a misunderstanding of basic international dynamics. Any US military “strike” on North Korea as currently contemplated would be illegal. A preemptive strike would not have justification since the much-hyped nuclear-armed ICBM aimed at the US is a distant fantasy. There ...

Stephen Costello | 2017-05-07 17:13

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Park's impeachment