Since the end of the Cold War, the United States no longer has any opponents, but it continues to enhance its military power and strengthen its military alliances with other countries to build an "absolutely safe" world. It has stepped up efforts to transform its defensive military alliances with Japan and South Korea into global strategic alliances, a policy that has fostered the development of right-wing forces in Japan and escalated South Korea's social fragmentation. Right-wing Japanese and South Korean conservatives share a tough stance toward North Korea. That's why Japan and South Korea were unable to follow suit when the United States adjusted its policy toward North Korea.

This is especially the case with Japan. Since the North Korean nuclear issue constitutes a major threat to Japan's security, it should have shown great concern over the settlement of the nuclear issue. But Japan gave priority to North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens in the six-party talks. It also cited this reason to oppose America's removal of North Korea from its list of "state sponsors of terrorism." Needless to say, Japan's cart-before-the-horse approach has had a negative impact on the six-party talks. What's worse, Japan tended to react strongly to North Korea's inappropriate actions instead of addressing problems in a constructive way. It often hindered the flexible measures the United States took to facilitate progress in the six-party talks. Japan's actions raise doubts that it may have ulterior motives in building regional security.

Lee changed Roh's policy of advancing Pyongyang-Seoul relations and the six-party talks at the same time. He made North Korea's denuclearization a precondition for developing bilateral relations. Ostensibly designed to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs, the change in fact aims to help South Korea gain dominance on the Korean Peninsula in the future. It has shattered the political mutual trust indispensable to North Korea's denuclearization, providing it with the best excuse for a policy change.

With their hard-line stance, Japan and South Korea not only put North Korea at a disadvantage in multilateral negotiations but also undermined the Obama administration's ability to negotiate.

Calmness matters

North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons has put other countries in Northeast Asia at a new strategic crossroads. They have to investigate the country's intentions as well as the implications of its nuclear capability while thinking of ways to deal with it.

It is difficult to make an accurate assessment of North Korea's intentions. While Pyongyang claims that its nuclear capability is for the purpose of self-defense, the United States, Japan and South Korea all regard it as a threat. The Japan Institute for National Fundamentals pointed out bluntly that North Korea's aim is to prevent U.S. intervention when it annexes South Korea by force. This extremist judgment is apparently not well founded. The institute made this judgment precisely to call on the Japanese Government to revise its principles on the North Korean nuclear issue. For Northeast Asian countries, making a strategic choice is more important than probing North Korea's intentions.

If they cope with the issue in a sober, rational manner and strengthen dialogue and cooperation on regional security, they will be able to minimize the harm done by North Korea's nuclear weapons to regional stability and effectively curb irrational military actions. If they deal with the issue radically and enter a vicious circle, Northeast Asia will plunge into chronic turbulence.

Facts have shown that radical actions cannot solve problems, but rather justify such actions of opponents. Some countries pushed for a strong reaction by the UN Security Council to North Korea's satellite launch. It turned out that their attempts only rendered the Security Council's reaction to North Korea's nuclear test meaningless.

Calmness is most needed at a time when many parties have been thrown into agitation. Only when we calm ourselves down can we come up with a solution to the North Korean nuclear issue rationally. A rational solution calls for the creation of a win-win situation in regional security. If the parties are at odds with one another and each emphasizes its own security unilaterally, common security-the true security that we all aspire to achieve-will never materialize.

The author is an associate research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies