Warning to Appeasement

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a meeting with United States Vice-President Mike Pence in Prime Minister’s Official Residence on Wednesday. Both leaders agreed on a notion that they would never accept nuclear-armed North Korea and reconfirmed their policy putting maximum pressure with trilateral cooperation including South Korea. It makes a warning message to Seoul, which has been involved in appeasement diplomacy with Pyongyang over Pyeongchang Olympic starting on Friday.

In the press conference after the meeting, Abe insisted on his concern on North’s nuclear and missile development. “Although I positively evaluate the dialogue between the South and North for success of Pyeongchang Olympic, we need to straightly look at the fact that North Korea has been sticking to nuclear and missile plan,” told Abe. He revealed an agreement with Pence to appeal their conviction not to be blinded with North’s “smile diplomacy.”

Pence stressed US policy change. “In the past, the United States, Japan and freedom-loving nations across the globe responded to Pyongyang’s actions with failed diplomacy, the result of which has been a cycle of broken promises, willful deception, and escalating provocations. But the era of strategic patience is over,” told Pence. He insisted on US stance that all the options were on the table.

Pence announced his intention to deliver new economic sanction to North Korea. While United Nations Security Council passed resolutions for stricter sanctions along with North’s intimidation, there had been breach of embargo in high seas, helping Kim Jong-un regime survive. “We will continue to isolate North Korea until it abandons its nuclear and ballistic missile program once and for all,” said Pence.

It is natural for Pence to join Abe’s effort to pressure-oriented policy toward North Korea, because Japan is a big client in US military business. Abe administration has been introducing military technology developed in US, as seen in the purchase of ground-based missile defense system. Prior to the meeting with Abe, Pence visited Ministry of Defense to see PAC-3 missile system deployed in the backyard of the ministry.

It is obvious that both leaders were frustrated with soft attitude of South Korean President Moon Jae-in toward North Korea. Abe and Pence are going to have each bilateral meeting with Moon later this week in South Korea. “I will reconfirm our plan also with President Moon and show the firmness of our trilateral cooperation,” said Abe standing aside Pence. But it is not clear how serious South Korean people on the warning from US and Japan in the enthusiasm of accepting athletes and supporters from the North for their great sports event.