Exploring the Path to Peace in the Korean Peninsula

Exploring the Path to Peace in the Korean Peninsula

By E. Stanley Ukeni

After about a couple of weeks of escalating rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang, which seemed to many political pundits like the situation was spiraling out of control, a path to a diplomatic de-escalation of the crisis suddenly began to open up.

The decision by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, to shelve his earlier plans to launch a number of intermediate-range ballistic missiles into waters near Guam—the United States territory in the Western Pacific, was a welcomed gesture by President Trump.

With this pullback from a dangerous brinkmanship, it appears as though the crisis between the United States and North Korea has abated—reducing the danger of an unintended spiral into war by both Washington and Pyongyang. This is a welcome development, and a sure win for the advancement of global peace and security.

Although more blustering rhetoric has been coming out of North Korea in recent days, such is to be expected from the hermit kingdom. After all, the United States and South Korean military forces are proceeding with for their annual ten days joint large-scale military exercise. 

Historically, the North Korean government has persistently denounced the annual air, land and sea joint military maneuvers by the United States and South Korea—code-named Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, with brash and bellicose language. So a belligerent response from Pyongyang is to be anticipated for the commencement of the war games.

It’s no surprise then that the North Korean’s decided to fire-off a few short range ballistic missiles on Saturday as a show of protest of the war games. Let’s hope that the more recent missile launches on Saturday does not ratchet up the rhetoric once again. I think it’s OK to allow then a little room to vent.

What’s noteworthy here is that although the regime in Pyongyang has issued inflammatory rhetoric as it has done in the past, the regime has not been quite as belligerently threatening to the United States as before. This is a promising development that would lay the foundation for multilateral dialogue aimed at bringing lasting peace to the Korean peninsula.    

I am reasonably confident that there is a chance for peace here, even as the war of wars between Washington and Pyongyang goes on. My confidence is born of the fact that the leaders of China, Russia, South Korea and Japan—the countries that would be most affected if a major war breaks out in the Korean peninsula, have all expressed a strong interest in pursuing a return to diplomatic negotiation.

In a phone conversation just days ago, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, impressed on his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, the need for both countries to coordinate their effort with the view of preventing a major war breaking out near their respective borders. This information is based on statement from sources within the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries.

In pursuant to de-escalation of rhetoric, the Chinese side issued a statement stating that, “The urgent task is to slam the brakes on the mutually provocative words and actions between North Korea and the United States…cool the tensions and prevent a crisis from breaking out this August.”

The message from the Russians stated that, “Military adventure and threats of force are unacceptable.”

The United States’ Secretary of States, Rex Tillerson—indicating US willingness to seek means of reinitiating the stalled peace negotiations with the North Koreans, said, “We continued to be interested in finding a way to get to a dialogue.”

Recent statements from the new South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, seems to indicate that the government in Seoul has little appetite for war in the Korean Peninsula.

In a nationally televised news conference, President Moon Jae-in affirmed, “The people worked together to rebuild the country from the Korean War, and we cannot lose everything again because of war. I can confidently say there will not be a war again on the Korean Peninsula.”

That is a ringing endorsement of peace in my opinion—and a sure sign that all parties are committed to finding a peaceful solution to the North Korean challenge that preclude to use of military force.

And in a bid to reassure regional powers of United States’ intentions of finding a diplomatic, rather than military solution to the Korean crisis, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., travelled to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing for consultations with leaders of those countries.

In China, General Dunford had an official consultation with his Chinese counterpart, General Fang Fenghui—the Chief of the People’s Liberation Army’s joint staff department, along with another top Chinese general, Fan Changlong, and a top Chinese government foreign policy adviser, Yang Jiechi.

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, center left, chats with President Xi Jinping, center right, during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool)

During their meeting, General Fan emphasized a Chinese government insistence that military action be ruled out in dealing with the Korean crisis. He insisted that China will only accept a negotiated settlement as the only effective means of dealing with the situation on the Korean Peninsula—this is according to a reported statement from China’s defense ministry.

General Dunford was quoted, by journalists in Beijing, to have said that, “We are seeking peaceful resolution to the crisis right now.”   

Apparently, while the rhetoric between the US President and the North Korean leader was heating up, a back-channel diplomatic discussion was taking place. These initial exploratory discussions were probably aimed at exploring acceptable perimeters for any future negotiations.

Obviously, a path to a negotiated solution to the Korean crisis will be difficult, but the alternative would be disastrous for our world. There is no doubt in my mind that a peaceful resolution to the Korean crisis is the only sane solution to consider by all sides.

In my opinion, any calculus that leads to war in the Korean Peninsula is one that will set human progress back a couple of centuries. Although there are occasions when a just war may be necessary to preserve liberty and freedom, I am of a firm opinion that peace is the acceptable solution here.   

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Photo Credits: AP