North Korea celebrated the anniversary of its founder's birth on Monday and abandoned its shrill threats of war against the United States and the South, easing tensions in a region that had seemed on the verge of conflict. The North has threatened nuclear attacks on the United States, South Korea and Japan after new UN sanctions were imposed in response to its latest nuclear arms test in February.
Many Pyongyang watchers has expected a big military parade to showcase North Korea's armed forces on the "Day of the Sun," the date the North's founder Kim Il-Sung was born. But on Monday, the 101st anniversary of Kim's birth was marked in the North's capital, Pyongyang, with a festival of flowers named after Kim. In contrast to weeks of tirades against its enemies, North Korean state media made hardly a mention of conflict.
"South Korea and the United States have sent a message for dialogue, so for now the North is switching to that mode," said Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. "The North's strategic intention has been to try to get some kind of response from the United States and South Korea and now they have that. They won't be brushing away the suggestions to enter dialogue lightly." The United States has offered talks, but on the pre-condition that North Korea abandons its nuclear weapons ambitions. North Korea deems its nuclear arms a "treasured sword" and has vowed never to give them up.
Nevertheless, US Secretary of State John Kerry, ending a trip to the region dominated by concern about North Korea, stressed his interest in a diplomatic solution. "The United States remains open to authentic and credible negotiations on denuclearization, but the burden is on Pyongyang," he said. "North Korea must take meaningful steps to show that it will honour commitments it has already made, and it has to observe laws and the norms of international behaviour."
On Sunday evening, Kerry appeared to open the door to talking without requiring the North to take denuclearization steps in advance. Beijing, he said, could be an intermediary. But on Monday White House spokesman Jay Carney said North Korea would have to "commit itself in a verifiable way to denuclearization" first, which has long been the US position. "If North Korea shows that it's serious about pursuing that path, then negotiations are the course through which that can be achieved," Carney told reporters.
Earlier, Kerry said he believed China, the North's sole economic and political benefactor, should put "some teeth" in efforts to persuade Pyongyang to alter its policies. The Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily, warned on Monday that tensions could get out of control. "It does not matter if it is intentional or accidental, even the smallest thing could cause the situation to change rapidly and perhaps get totally out of control," the paper said.
South Korean and US officials said last week North Korea appeared set to test-launch a medium-range missile as a show of strength linked to Monday's anniversary of the birth of North Korean state founder Kim Il-Sung. North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests but it was not believed to be near weapons capability. South Korea said it remained on guard against any missile launch and it regretted the North's rejection of an offer of talks made last week by President Park Geun-hye. It said the offer would remain on the table.
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