EDITORIAL — Engaging Pyongyang

Kim Jong-il is a child at heart, and his favorite toys are nukes. Now that he has successfully test-fired a nuclear weapon, he isn’t going to be humored by the old-timers in the global nuclear club into abandoning his nuclear ambitions. His nukes give him power, and they justify — at least in his mind — the high cost of his toys, which are being developed at the expense of his long suffering people.

The second annual East Asia summit today in Cebu is expected to result in a formal call on North Korea to desist from testing a second nuclear bomb. Whether or not the call will be heeded will depend on how much concession Pyongyang can get, particularly from the United States, which is excluded from the East Asia summit. And even if Washington approves certain concessions, developments in recent years have shown that it has become increasingly harder for the international community to persuade sovereign states to give up nuclear weapons programs.

The international community has been equally hard-pressed to prevent the slow genocide in North Korea. With Pyongyang pouring state revenues into defense and the upkeep of Kim Jong-il and his trusted aides, millions of North Koreans continue to starve, with many dying from hunger and illnesses related to poor nutrition.

China, whose support for Pyongyang weakened international sanctions against the reclusive regime, helped tighten the screws this time by supporting sanctions that were approved by the United Nations following North Korea’s first nuclear test in October last year. If Beijing continues to join hands with the international community, Kim could be persuaded to address the humanitarian crisis in his country.

Ending his nuclear brinkmanship is a different ballgame for Kim. After many years of using his people as pawns in dealing with the international community, Kim has found another bargaining chip in his nuclear program. He is not about to let go of that chip easily.