WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN: North Korea's Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun (left) and Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo, the current ASEAN Chair, sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia at a ceremony in Singapore on July 24.(ZHANG FENGGUO)

After the Cold War, multilateral diplomacy became more popular among both superpowers and smaller countries, providing the former with a way to amplify political advantages, and the latter a means to protect their interests. For example, Southeast Asia set up the ASEAN Regional Forum to discuss security-related issues in the region. The forum aims to enhance communication, eliminate misunderstandings, prevent crises and promote practical solutions through dialogue. Although the forum is not an effective way to settle practical disputes, it helps maintain the political balance in Southeast Asia and plays a unique role in regional stability. Japan, South Korea and the United States had hoped to press North Korea more through the forum, but as a mechanism for dialogue, the forum cannot put political pressure on a non-dialogue state. With North Korea's participation, the problem has been solved.

Participation in multilateral mechanisms also helps North Korea protect its interests, as evidenced by its recent showdown with South Korea at the 15th ASEAN Regional Forum. On July 24, the last day of the meeting, the chairman's statement included a call to resolve the shooting death two weeks earlier of a South Korean tourist who had wandered into a North Korean military area near Kumgang Mountain resort. North Korea, for its part, claimed that the statement should include an expression of support for the October 4, 2007 peace declaration signed by South Korean and North Korean leaders at the Inter-Korean Summit. As each side strongly opposed the other's demand, the final statement deleted both points.

To be a normal state in East Asia

Even though North Korea has actively participated in multilateral mechanisms like the ASEAN Regional Forum, it has never been part of the more complicated cooperative structures in East Asia. These mechanisms are ASEAN+1 (China), ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and South Korea), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the East Asia Summit, which includes non-East Asian countries like Australia, New Zealand and India. North Korea's exclusion from these regional cooperative efforts benefits neither North Korea itself nor the other East Asian countries. So it is time for them to think about making North Korea a normal state in the region.

Pyongyang's signing of the TAC also proves that it will obey the basic rules in the treaty when dealing with other countries in the region, with the hope that other treaty signatories will follow the same rules in their dealings with North Korea. Signing the treaty is a form of self-protection for North Korea, as it contains objections to external intervention and the use or threat of force in settling disputes. Under the treaty, all regional signatories have the same duties and responsibilities.

Reconciliation is still threatened by the nuclear issue, which influences North Korea's relationships with the United States, South Korea and Japan. There are two sticking points in the current situation-ideology and security disturbance-with the first leading directly to the second. The six-party talks are still the best way to solve the nuclear issue and address security concerns. ASEAN now faces the question of whether it can work effectively to eliminate political antipathy and security disturbances. It is not easy for ASEAN to stay impartial while dealing with sharp disputes on the Korean Peninsula, but it is even harder to play the role of mediator. If East Asia cooperation fails to play a proper role, then it will be easier for extremists to determine the outcome of the North Korea nuclear issue.

North Korea's signing of the treaty can be a meaningless symbol, or the real start of a united East Asian family. The result will depend on the actions all parties take from this point.

Domestic factors

Now that the Cold War is over, North Korea faces much more security pressure. On one side, the United States leans on North Korea through political, economic and military channels; on the other side, the changing international situation requires that North Korea pursue domestic reform.

North Korea now faces a domestic dilemma: It can reduce security anxiety and relieve its overstretched forces by developing its military, but at a high economic and diplomatic cost. Any move by North Korea to strengthen its military sparks international concern, limiting North Korea's diplomatic space. By perfecting the country's systems, however, North Korea can solve the dilemma and achieve real diplomatic breakthroughs.

As it enters the 21st century, North Korea has focused on economic reform. For example, it has developed closer ties with Viet Nam, especially in exchanging advice on economic reform and opening-up. People hope further change comes sooner rather than later, because only once North Korea achieves comprehensive reform will it be able to fully merge into East Asia and rejoin the world.

The author is an Associate Researcher at the China Institute of International Studies