South Korean President Expresses Readiness to Meet North Korean Leader

Park Geun-hye, the President of South Korea, on Monday, January 22, expressed her readiness for an unconditional meeting with Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, to discuss the potential grounds for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. According to the South Korean state news agency, Yonhap, Ms. Park stated, 'I can meet with anyone necessary to open the way for peaceful reunification.' North and South Korea have been separated since the mid-20th century following World War II and the end of Japanese rule, followed by a civil war. The 'Saenuri' party, from which Park Geun-hye hails, has little history of direct negotiations with North Korean leaders. However, previous moderate leaders in Seoul had taken steps towards direct negotiations, leading to meetings in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007. Kim Jong-il, the former leader of North Korea who participated in these meetings, passed away in 2011, leaving his position to his younger son, Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un also stated in a message broadcast on state television at the beginning of 2015 that he was ready to engage in high-level talks with Seoul if South Korea 'sincerely' desired it. At the same time, the South Korean president, in a speech to her country's large military, emphasized that increasing security is a primary requirement in the event of a possible reunification of the two Koreas. In her remarks on January 22, Park Geun-hye stressed that Pyongyang must 'immediately' come to the negotiating table. The statements from leaders of the main right-wing party in South Korea, which has held power under various names throughout contemporary South Korean history, have not yet led to the establishment of a reunification framework. On the other hand, Pyongyang has conducted various nuclear military tests that have halted negotiations at different levels and worsened relations between the two neighbors. The latest of these tests occurred in 2006, 2009, and 2013, despite North Korea agreeing to halt its military nuclear programs. Following the release of a UN report on human rights conditions in North Korea, new threats were also issued. Pyongyang has adopted an isolationist policy that has closed North Korea off from the world. Citizens of both Koreas have had no means of direct communication since their separation, and a buffer zone monitored by military personnel, extending for tens of kilometers, effectively keeps the two sides apart.