Why can't we hang together on the North Korean nuclear issue?

By Ahn Ho-young

"We must hang together, or surely we shall hang separately." Benjamin Franklin is reputed to have said this on the eve of signing the Declaration of Independence. Delegates at the Continental Congress knew the grave risk they were assuming in getting engaged in the war of independence against the United Kingdom, one of the strongest military powers at the time. Franklin thought that the most important element to winning the war against such a formidable foe was a unity of purpose, and unity among the leaders of the colonies. I think he was right.

I am often reminded of this saying when I follow discussions in Korean society about how we should respond to North Korea's development of nuclear warheads, missiles and other weapons of mass destruction. North Korea is posing an existential threat to South Korea. Still, we don't seem to have the necessary unity of purpose, and unity among opinion leaders in our society.

First and foremost, there has been a claim that President Yoon's North Korean policy is overly obsessed with military means, which will only raise the risk of war on the Korean peninsula. That claim has been made since the days of the election campaign.

As was already mentioned, North Korea poses an existential threat to South Korea. At the 8th Workers' Party Congress held in January, 2021, North Korea declared that it will develop both strategic and tactical nuclear capabilities. During the past two years, it has been diligently implementing the declared plan. Last year alone, it tested no less than 65 missiles through 40 tests. A large number of tests were with short-range missiles of KN-23, 24 and 25, all of which would be focused on targets in South Korea.

What is even more alarming is the change in North Korea's nuclear doctrine. North Korea claimed for many years that it is forced to develop nuclear weapons in order to deter U.S. aggression. It has now dropped such a facade, and declared that North Korea is ready to use nuclear weapons preemptively against South Korea. In September, 2022, the North Korean parliament passed a law reflecting the declaration.

Given such clear security threats, the South Korean government has been cooperating with the U.S. to further strengthen U.S. extended deterrence for South Korea. However, there are increasing signs that that alone cannot assure South Korean citizens. Poll after poll shows that more than 70 percent of citizens think that South Korea must develop its own nuclear weapons. Given the situation, President Yoon must strengthen Korea's autonomous means to "detect, defend, deter and destroy" threats from the North Korean nuclear arsenal.

Second, a related claim has often been made that the government neglects the pursuit of dialogue with North Korea to reduce tension on the Korean peninsula. This claim is not supported by the facts. President Yoon has repeatedly offered his "Audacious Package" plan to North Korea, based on the idea of achieving denuclearization of North Korea through taking a series of simultaneous and parallel actions to cover a whole range of economic, political and security issues.

Most notably, the offered actions include the normalization of relations between the U.S. and North Korea and the promotion of a peace regime on the Korean peninsula, two issues of high interest for North Korea. Even then, North Korea has been totally boycotting and disparaging the plan.

A part of the plan is "initial actions," including the exchange of North Korean natural resources for South Korean cereals. I hope that North Korea agrees at least to take this initial action. There are repeated reports of serious malnutrition cases in North Korea, with a number of people dying from starvation even in relatively better-off areas like Kaesong.

Third, there has been a claim that South Korea has ignored seriously considering the "deep-seated security concerns" that North Korea holds against aggression from South Korea and the U.S. Each time I hear such a claim, I wonder if there has been a single case of "aggression" by either South Korea or the U.S. against North Korea ever.

"Aggression" on the Korean Peninsula has always been with North Korean hands, starting from the Korean War, the digging of infiltration tunnels under the DMZ and the repeated cases of sending ferociously trained commando forces to the South, a squad of which came perilously close to the presidential residence in Seoul. North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction is in fact, a continuation of North Korea's persistent ambition to subdue South Korea through military means.

Given all these facts, if there's a party that must suffer from "deep-seated security concerns," it is South Korea, not North Korea. Facing the existential threat from the North, it is time that we must stop bickering and hang together.

Ahn Ho-young (hyahn78@mofa.or.kr) is chair professor of North Korean studies, Kyungnam University. He also served as Korean ambassador to the U.S. and vice foreign minister.