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| Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, April 20. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Former NK diplomat cautions against military options
By Kim Rahn
The international community should keep imposing sanctions on North Korea until the Kim Jong-un regime falls, former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho said.
Additionally, he cautioned against using military options to denuclearize Pyongyang, saying that should be the last resort.
The remarks from the former North Korean deputy ambassador to Britain, who fled to the South last August, come amid heightening tension here following Washington's warnings against Pyongyang's provocations and the latter's vows of "merciless" counterattacks.
Thae said U.S. officials and experts are talking about two approaches to the North Korea issue -- military options and risk management for phased negotiations -- but he believes neither can be the solution.
"We need to take a third road," he said in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, April 20. "We need to review what cards we haven't played yet to resolve the issue peacefully, and play these cards to the end (before taking the military option)."
He said the international community should keep imposing sanctions until the Kim regime collapses. "We need to impose economic sanctions, isolate the country diplomatically, and make information of the outside world flow into the country so the residents will cause a revolt, resulting in the regime's breakdown."
Thae agreed on the need for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges, but some conditions should be met first for this.
"Dialogue and aid are possible only when it is guaranteed that they will not help intensify the Kim regime's iron-fist rule, but support North Korean residents. In that way, we can change North Korea."
He gave an example of a children's hospital which South Korea built in the North. As the residents highly evaluated the hospital which had much better facilities than North Korean ones, the Kim regime then built a larger hospital nearby with similar facilities. "This is how we can change the North and benefit its people," Thae said.
Regarding wages for workers at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, which is closed for now, he said South Korean companies should give the wages directly to the workers, not to the authorities.
"The North prevented the companies from providing wages directly to the workers. If the South had said it would then provide other things than money, hospitals for example, most North Korean hospitals by now would have become South Korean-style ones with modern facilities and the residents would have appreciated the South's aid. This kind of aid will advance the time of unification."
Willing to visit Washington
Thae said if the Donald Trump administration or the U.S. Congress invites him to talk about North Korea issues, he is willing to accept.
He said the Trump administration's hard-line stance toward North Korea could be a good chance for South Korea in addressing the nuclear issue. "Previous U.S. administrations did not put the North Korea issue on top of its policy list. But now it is a priority," he said. "And this is motivating China. This is a good sign."
