Although my assessment remains to be verified in years to come, I believe that when the leaders of the region can agree upon a framework for permanent peace on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia, the leadership of North Korea will be able to follow suit. In recent years, North Korea has shown a behavioral pattern of taking tentative but significant steps toward meaningful change. For example, after a visit to China in May 2000, the inter-Korean summit was held in June 2000, and the Gaeseong Industrial Complex venture was initiated with the signing of the Agreement on the Development of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in August 2000. It seems possible in our current situation that more positive steps will follow Chairman Kim Jong Il’s recent January 2006 visit to China. As a result, a strategic vision to further engage and open up North Korea is especially needed.

Looking Toward a Brighter Future

Beyond the remnants of the Cold War and the North Korean nuclear challenge, the most important preconditions for achieving permanent peace on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia are a coherent strategic vision and the willingness of regional members to work together through a multilateral framework. While moving toward peace, all countries involved must collaborate on the issues of security that have already emerged during the Six-Party Talks. And with these Six-Party Talks, momentum has been created for multi-party security cooperation to begin in a region where none existed before. Resumption of the talks and progress toward implementing the September 19 Joint Statement will not only bring the region closer to peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue but will also strengthen regional members’ confidence in the utility of multilateral cooperation for peace and security. The legacy of the Cold War will thus be finally reversed.