Seoul's leniency on Pyongyang worries some in international community
來源：開云體育app官方網站發布日期：2023-01-27 08:03:00 瀏覽：351
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Unification minister in hot water over interview on lifting North Korea sanctions
By Kang Seung-woo
Concern is rising over the growing discord between South Korea and some in the international community over sanctions on North Korea, following Unification Minister Lee In-young's interview with an overseas media outlet, in which he questioned whether sanctions by the United States and the United Nations (U.N.) on the North were effective.
In the recent interview with the Financial Times, Lee said it was time to reassess the efficacy of the sanctions, adding that the punitive actions have resulted in unintended negative effects on the lives of ordinary North Koreans. His remarks were in line with the Moon Jae-in administration's stance of easing or lifting the sanctions on North Korea in order to engage Pyongyang as part of the President's peace initiative.
However, some members of the U.S. government and diplomatic observers here say the minister has misread the reason for the humanitarian crisis in North Korea, expressing worries that such a claim could obscure the real causes of the poor livelihoods of the North Korean people.
"The fault of the abysmal condition of the North people lies squarely with the regime and not on sanctions. Blaming sanctions for the dire conditions of the North Korean people diverts attention from the real reason, which is the nature and policies of the North Korean regime," said Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst and senior researcher at the Heritage Foundation.
"Pyongyang's socialist economic policies, prioritizing defense spending over the needs of the people, resistance to foreign assistance, unwillingness to abide by previous commitments, and its self-imposed isolation are the real culprits for the devastating economic and food situation within North Korea."
Klingner noted that there are no U.N. or U.S. sanctions on food, medicine, or humanitarian assistance and each resolution and law has specific language emphasizing that the restrictive measures are not intended to restrict such assistance.
"North Korea has rejected offers of food and assistance from the U.S., South Korea and others. Donors have been deterred by Pyongyang's resistance to the economic reforms necessary to prevent a recurrent need for assistance. Over the years, humanitarian aid groups left North Korea because the regime put constrictions on the group or on verifying the distribution of aid. Cases of inadvertent delays are addressed by a U.N. panel," he said
Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, also refuted the unification minister's claim.
"In light of Kim Jong-un's accelerated efforts to improve his nuclear and ballistic missile programs, it makes no sense to lift any U.N. sanctions, and throw away leverage," Manning said.
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