Song Young-gil, the leader of South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party (DP), visited Washington D.C. and on Sunday, he expressed his frustration over the Biden administration’s reluctance to engage more directly with North Korea.
It was a bold statement that may anger the Biden administration, but Song appears to have calculated that it is worth the risk. Song has a history of anti-American remarks, and his latest comment confirms that his status as party leader is a risk to the U.S.-Korea alliance.
Several South Korean observers argue that President Moon Jae-in’s upcoming visit to the United Nations this week, along with Song’s separate visit, shows the South Korean leftists’ desperation to resume negotiations with Pyongyang ahead of the presidential election scheduled in March. This is because the North Korea issue was one of few things that the current Moon administration has been using to praise their performance. However, negotiations stalled and eventually worsened, and North Korea resumed operations at its Yongbyon reactor and fired cruise and ballistic missiles this month.
Song argued that the current Biden administration’s North Korean policies are “still vague” even though Biden said he will work on resolving the issue diplomatically based on the agreements established under the Trump administration. “They are not making any progress and keeping it very vague,” Song said. “It is neither going back to the strategic patience of the Obama administration nor Trump’s top-down approach.”
Song blamed the current ambiguity in the recent rise in tensions with North Korea. “Tension with North Korea has risen recently followed by missile tests from both the South and North, and this is because we are still keeping the status quo here,” he argued. “The Biden administration should not go back to the strategic patience policy.”
He then predicted that the North Korea issue would be helpful for the U.S. Democratic Party ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Song may not have a clear understanding of U.S. politics. The North Korean issue has disappeared from key political issues in Washington when compared to the Trump era. “I think the Biden administration can present the achievement of resolving the North Korean issue to Americans before the election,” said Song. “That it is something that they can make a bipartisan accomplishment by embracing the legacy from the Trump administration.”
When asked about an assessment from the U.S. Congress that South Korea is getting too far ahead on relations with North Korea and is not in lockstep with the United States, Song said, “We are not trying to get ahead of this—what we are trying to do is discuss related issues thoroughly.”
The U.S. government has recently released numerous statements saying that it is willing to engage with North Korea but Pyongyang has not been responsive to these proposals to resume talks. Song provided a strange interpretation on this situation as well. “North Korea is leaving the way open and this shows that they still have the willingness to talk,” he said.
Before departing to the United States, Song met with reporters and suggested he will work on finding ways to normalize the relationship between North Korea and the United States.
“This year marks the 30th anniversary of South Korea and North Korea simultaneously joining the United Nations and President Moon Jae-in is departing to New York to attend the UN General Assembly,” Song said. “The Republic of Korea normalized relations with China and Russia but normalization between North Korea and the United States and North Korea and Japan have not been established yet. This type of cross-normalization is necessary to have for the Korean Peninsula to legally go back to a system of stability.” He argued that he will share the importance of this notion with his counterparts in the United States.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in New York on Sunday to attend an annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. He plans to deliver a keynote speech on Korean peace and Seoul’s role in resolving global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, according to his office.
Blue House spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said that “Moon partaking in the UN General Assembly is an opportunity to reaffirm the international community’s support for efforts to advance peace on the Korean Peninsula.” She said Moon is expected to convey South Korea’s intention to expand its role to “respond to our elevated status and expectations in the international community.”
Following a two-night stay in New York, Moon will fly to Honolulu for the transfer of the remains of South Korean and American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
Despite Moon’s gesture highlighting the importance of the U.S.-Korea alliance, Song’s careless comment may have jeopardized relations with the White House.
