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Commission of Inquiry report. Sony hack. New allegations of links to the Syrian nuclear program. And all of the old tricks of making nice to the South while blaming the US—and the joint exercises—for dividing the peninsula.
So why should we be lifting sanctions rather than imposing more, as the President just did and the House has advocated even more strongly?
In an editorial for Joongang Daily, I explain the logic (Korean here; all the comments to date have been negative).
The main points: more North-South trade through purely commercial channels is likely to have wider effects than enclaves like Kaesong or the aid-extortion racket. If Trustpolitik is going to get of the ground, it is time to take the longer view and—to cite Kim Dae Jung—try the separation of economics and politics. In any case, actual trade will depend on the North Koreans. Will they allow firms to make money or not?
