Seoul takes hard line as talks between rival Koreas drag on

President Park Geun-<g data-gr-id="20">hye</g> said that without a clear North Korean apology for a land mine attack that maimed two soldiers, the anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts that infuriate the North will continue. Her strong words provide a good hint at why the talks, which started Saturday evening and whose second session began Sunday afternoon and was still continuing more than 28 hours later, have dragged on. Both sides want to find a face-saving way to avoid an escalation that could lead to bloodshed, especially the North, which is outmatched militarily by Seoul and its ally, the United States. 

But authoritarian Pyongyang must also show its people that it is standing up to bitter enemy Seoul. Pyongyang has denied involvement in the land mine explosions and also rejected Seoul’s report that Pyongyang launched an artillery barrage last week — so winning an apology will be difficult work. The North, for its part, demands that Seoul stop the propaganda broadcasts started in retaliation for the land mine attack. 

For now, the attempt at diplomacy has pushed aside <g data-gr-id="27">previous</g> heated warnings of imminent war, but South Korea’s military said North Korea has continued to prepare for a fight, moving unusual numbers of troops and submarines to the border. 

These are the highest-level talks between the two Koreas in a year. And just the fact that senior officials from countries that have spent recent days vowing to destroy each other are sitting together at a table in Panmunjom, the border enclave where the 1953 armistice ending fighting in the Korean War was agreed to, is something of a victory. 

The length of the talks and the lack of immediate progress are not unusual. While the Koreas often have difficulty agreeing to <g data-gr-id="29">talks</g>, once they do, <g data-gr-id="23">overlong</g> sessions are often the rule. After decades of animosity and bloodshed, however, finding common ground is much harder. 

President Park said during a meeting with top aides that Seoul would not “stand down even if North Korea ratchets up provocation to its highest level and threatens our national security.” She said Seoul needs “a definite apology” and a promise that such provocations would not recur. 

The decision to hold talks came hours ahead of a Saturday deadline set by North Korea for the South to dismantle the propaganda loudspeakers. North Korea had declared that its front-line troops were in full war readiness and prepared to go to battle if Seoul did not back down.