(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Jan. 18)

'Two-track' policy
North Korea should stop provocations, accept help

North Korea has shown signs of resuming long-stalled trade with China, with its freight train crossing the border into the neighboring country, Sunday. The train left the North Korean border town of Sinuiju and arrived in China's Dandong at around 9 a.m. after crossing the Yalu River, according to multiple sources. The train reportedly carried no freight into China, but contained food, medical goods and other emergency supplies when it returned to North Korea, Monday.

It was the first time that a North Korean train crossed the border into China since 2020, when the reclusive state locked down its borders due to COVID-19. This indicates a major shift in North Korea's quarantine policies which so far focused on restrictive measures to strictly prohibit contact with the outside world.

On the other hand, North Korea has continued its military provocations by firing projectiles, presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles, into the East Sea, Monday, marking the fourth missile test this year. Earlier, the North fired what it claimed to be hypersonic missiles on Jan. 5 and 11, followed by another testing of a ballistic missile on Jan. 14. This has prompted the United States to take retaliatory measures. Given the signs of growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, it is encouraging to see North Korea begin opening its border with China.

President Moon Jae-in is facing a growing setback in his bid to put forward an end-of-war declaration despite his relentless efforts in line with the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. Though the consultations between South Korea and the U.S. have purportedly entered the final stage, the prospects have remained dim ever since North Korea announced it would not take part in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The United Nations conveyed its will to provide 60 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the North last October, via the North's U.N. envoy Kim Sung. Experts share the notion that Pyongyang has begun to seriously consider accepting the vaccines due to lingering quarantine anxiety despite the need to open trade with China. North Korea has been suffering from an extreme economic crunch and has remained the only country that has yet to begin vaccinations. The U.S. Joe Biden administration is also taking flak as it has made little effort to improve ties with the North in its first year, despite saying it was open to dialogue.

Now the international community should take more proactive steps by offering further humanitarian assistance to the North. Offering COVID-19 vaccines will help ease the security concerns resulting from the confrontation between the U.S. and the North. The Moon Jae-in administration should strengthen cooperation with the U.S. to create a mood for dialogue and expedite humanitarian assistance for the North. North Korea, for its part, should stop its military provocations and take more open policies and positively react to the international community's offers of humanitarian assistance.
(END)