Is ‘an open heart’ the right way of dealing with Pyongyang?

Ex-President of the US Jimmy Carter successfully completed his mission to North Korea. The North Korean authorities released from prison an American, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, convicted and sentences for eight years in a labor camp and a fine of $700,000 last April for illegally crossing North Korean border.

Jimmy Carter flew to Pyongyang on what he himself characterized as a humanitarian mission. There he met with the ‘number two’ in North Korean power hierarchy Kim Yong-Nam, the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, and, according to official news agency, ‘had open-hearted talks with him’. In the course of their conversation, Kim Yong-Nam asked Carter to convey to Washington officials the desire and willingness of his state to resume the six-party negotiations on denuclearization of Korean peninsula.

On Friday Jimmy Carter and the released prisoner Aijalon Gomes flew to Boston.

Well, all is well that ends well. But there is much more to this story than just one particular case of one particular American arrested and convicted for violating North Korean laws (however strict they may seem for an outside observer).

The US – North Korean relations have never been too cordial, but since last year they have probably reached the lowest point in decades. Tension is escalating on Korean peninsula.

Nuclear and missile tests conducted by Pyongyang resulted in a halt in six-party negotiations over denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. North Korea withdrew from the talks in April 2009.

An incident with a South Korean warship Cheonan which went down near the disputed inter-Korean border on 26 March this year added to the tension. South Korea accused its Northern neighbour for sinking the warship with a torpedo launched from a submarine. North Korea denies the accusation.

After that South Korean and US Navies had joint manoeuvres in the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan with a participation of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS George Washington. This not only prompted a sharp reaction from Pyongyang which warned of “physical retribution” if its security is endangered, but also raised grave concerns in Beijing which regards this area as vital to its national interest.

The language which Washington officials prefer to use in relations with North Korea is the strictest possible – that is the language of sanctions and direct threats. In this sense the Obama administration has not softened the stance of its predecessor. As is well known, George W. Bush included North Korea in his list of ‘rogue states’ alongside with Iraq and Iran.

While Jimmy Carter was preparing to go on his trip to Pyongyang, officials from Obama’s administration warned that no major breakthrough in US – North Korean relations was to be expected, and therefore the policy of tougher sanctions and joint military exercises will prevail.

In this respect, the ex-President’s visit demonstrates a sharp contrast with the official line. It should be noted that this is not a first visit of Jimmy Carter to Pyongyang. In 1994, he made a similar trip and met with the founder and leader of the People’s Republic of Korea Kim Il-Sung. That visit enabled to defuse the first North Korean nuclear crisis, paving the way for the 1994 Agreed Framework in which North Korea pledged to give up its nuclear weapons in return for aid.

As reported in Western media, before departing for Pyongyang, Carter was briefed for several hours in the State Department. After the briefing he told the diplomats, "You haven't told me what Kim Il-Sung wants. What he wants is my respect. And I am going to give it to him."

It is not yet clear whether this time the ex-President’s visit will lead to any significant changes in American attitude. Washington official seem to be rather jealous of ex-presidents’ activities tending to limit them to purely humanitarian ends. This, for example, was the case with a visit to North Korea by another ex-President Bill Clinton in August last year when he succeeded in freeing two American journalists detained in North Korea.

But as a Korean studies professor from the University of Georgia (Jimmy Carter’s home state) Han Park pointed out, Carter is not likely to succeed in obtaining North Korean concessions on defense issues, but nevertheless, his trip could help influence public perceptions of North Korea and eventually lead to direct dialog.