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Scholars around the World Express Concerns about Current Crisis in Northeast Asia Despite some hopeful signs in the last two years, the Korean peninsula is again teetering toward crisis. The Six Party Talks are stymied. Progress toward normalizing relations between the United States and North Korea has stalled. Relations between the two Koreas have deteriorated. In this context, North Korea’s rocket launch this week and the overreaction to it threaten to trigger another round of escalation. We urge all the governments in the region to remain calm and turn to dialogue and diplomacy to stop the peninsula from degenerating into a conflict. We believe that this crisis is a reminder of the absolute imperative of achieving permanent peace in the region. Frustrated by the lack of progress in the Six Party Talks and genuinely interested in advancing its space program, Pyongyang is making its second attempt to put a satellite into orbit. This time, North Korea has signed the appropriate international protocols governing satellites and given the proper notification. The UN resolution sanctioning North Korea after its 2006 nuclear test does not explicitly forbid satellite launches. That North Korea is attempting to abide by this resolution suggests that Pyongyang still wants to engage with the international community. We are concerned about the growing militarism in Northeast Asia, including increased military spending, destabilizing U.S. military exercises around the peninsula, and the bellicose rhetoric from North Korea. Japan has taken the current crisis as an opportunity to accelerate its missile defense programs; South Korea is solidifying its uncompromising position. We believe that an overreaction to North Korea’s rocket launch would only fuel North Korea’s suspicions and make further negotiations difficult. Talk of sanctions would only help end dialogue in the region. We call on the region’s governments to reaffirm the principles declared in the September 19 Joint Statement of the Six Party talks as well as the roadmap identified in the February 13 agreement. The six countries should abide by their commitments and move forward not only on denuclearization but also with the larger engagement package, which includes a peace treaty to replace the Korean War armistice, concrete steps toward normalization, and a roadmap that Pyongyang can follow to become integrated in the global economy and a peace structure. A narrow focus on non-proliferation is a recipe for prolonged, fitful, and probably fruitless negotiations. Only by expanding the number of options on the table can the Six Party Talks make headway. All avenues of communication and exchange, including bilateral ones, must be pursued. A bold move to open dialogue must begin now. Signatories (institutional affiliation for the purpose of identification):* Charles K. Armstrong ( Columbia University) *Signatures are collected by Alliance of Scholars Concerned
about Korea (www.asck.org). ASCK Mission Statement We are scholars working in the United States and other countries who join together out of concern about current US policies toward the Korean peninsula. We believe that current problems on the Korean peninsula and between the US and the two Koreas, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea, can only be solved through dialogue, cooperation, and the active pursuit of peace. We feel the responsibility to speak out against policies that increase tensions in Northeast Asia and may lead to another catastrophic war in Korea. We wish to add our voices to a constructive discussion on how to achieve a peaceful, unified Korea existing in harmony with its neighbors, including the United States. The Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea (ASCK) is dedicated to the promotion of mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Korea, both North and South. The goals and activities of ASCK include: 1. Helping scholars, students,
policy-makers and the general public learn about Korea, both North (DPRK)
and South (ROK), through accurate, historically informed analyses; We realize that this is a critical moment in US-Korean relations. Our organization is committed to promoting a US policy toward Korea that is informed, humane, and in everyone's mutual interest. ASCK History The Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea (ASCK) was founded at a meeting at Columbia University on March 29, 2003. |
