North Korea: Covert No More : DMZ troop exercises seek, and win, world attention

Brazenly flouting the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the Korean War, North Korea has been sending heavily armed troops to conduct military exercises in the demilitarized zone that separates it from South Korea. Unlike its frequent past covert violations of the armistice accord, this provocation was intended to be an attention-grabber, and so it has become.

North Korea preceded its highly visible deployment with a somewhat incoherent announcement suggesting that it would no longer meet its armistice obligations. The South Korean government of President Kim Young Sam, which has been worried about losing support in the National Assembly elections scheduled for Thursday, has responded to this political opportunity with the kind of tough talk that’s unlikely to hurt it at the polls.

Washington’s response has been low key. The 37,000 U.S. troops who serve alongside South Korea’s 650,000-man army have not been put on alert, and American officials emphasize that no one expects North Korea’s maneuvers to lead to hostilities.

What can be expected is a renewed push by Pyongyang to extract more recognition from Washington, in furtherance of its longtime goal of dealing independently with the United States at South Korea’s expense. Two months ago it called for bilateral negotiations with the United States on a peace settlement. Later this month U.S.-North Korea talks are to be held on Pyongyang’s sale of missile technology to Iran and other states. North Korea’s asking price for limiting its technology exports is certain to be greater political concessions from Washington.

A society as tightly sealed as North Korea’s does not give up its secrets easily. What is known--even admitted--is that the last of the world’s Stalinist states now faces an imploding economy, with food and fuel shortages becoming increasingly severe. Some fear that a rising sense of hopelessness could nudge Pyongyang into an attack on the south. The important thing at this point is not to let that concern prompt political misjudgments that could weaken the U.S.-South Korea relationship.

President Clinton, headed next week for Japan and Russia, will stop briefly in South Korea on a visit he foolishly almost neglected to schedule. That occasion clearly should be used to reaffirm the U.S.-South Korea strategic relationship, and to remind North Korea that it can hope to earn respect only when it finally starts living up to the rules of international behavior.