Seoul's unification minister has urged Brussels to act as mediator in North-South discussions, but Pyongyang still seems to show little appetite for interaction.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BmpBPyongyang recently ruled out any form of relationship with Seoul and labeled South Korea as its 'most hostile entity'Image: Lee Yong-Ho/dpa/picture allianceAdvertisementThe South Korean government has asked the European Union to act as a mediator in talks with North Korea as it seeks to move beyond the present bilateral "distrust and hostility" and achieve a breakthrough in relations with Pyongyang.
"I would appreciate it if the EU would consider facilitating an EU-mediated two-plus-one political dialogue between South and North Korea." South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told a delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs while meeting them in Seoul last week.
Chung added that the EU is "an optimal mediator" as it has a "history of resolving centuries of animosity and achieving regional integration," Yonhap News reported.
The meeting took place the day before French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in South Korea for a two-day state visit. During his trip, Macron held talks with President Lee Jae-myung focused on closer ties on defense, technology, energy and critical minerals.
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Analysts say any outreach to the regime of Kim Jong Un is worth exploring in the search for the sake of regional security, but there is little optimism that the EU's involvement will bear fruit.
"I believe the minister saw the EU delegation as a 'target of opportunity' and tried to get Europe to agree to play a role," said Mason Richey, a professor of politics and international relations at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.
"Macron was also in Seoul and they would have tried to get him on board because the ministry would very much like to have the support of a nuclear power and a full member of the United Nations Security Council," he told DW.
"But I do not think that Kim cares much about Europe," he said, adding that that the EU is "no substitute" for the US.
Richey emphasized that the EU would almost certainly be willing to play a role in facilitating a resumption of discussions between the North and South, and has a degree of goodwill in Pyongyang, with a number of European nations having embassies in the North, including Germany and Poland.
But the European bloc would be less willing to become involved if it felt that little could be achieved, he added.
Seoul's own efforts to extend an olive branch to the North have been clearly and repeatedly rebuffed, says Erwin Tan, a professor of international politics at Hankuk University.
At the same time, the South views the present US administration as "unreliable" and preoccupied with domestic issues and the situation in the Middle East, the expert told DW.
"My sense is that at the moment, South Korea's main concern is the unpredictability and apparently isolationist moves of the Trump administration," he added.
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Tan also said the EU is likely to view the Korean invitation "positively" but won't be overly "keen" to get involved.
"The EU does have experience in helping with the unification of formerly divided countries, because of the past experience of helping to facilitate German unification," he underlined, but the Korean Peninsula presents its own set of unique, complex challenges.
"It is a very attractive, utopian idea when it comes to political rhetoric, but most commentators are rather skeptical about the possibility of Korean unification," Tan told DW.
European nations once provided a limited amount of trade and development assistance to Pyongyang. In the past, that could have served as an incentive for the North to return to talks. But it is no longer the case.
"North Korea has been steadily aligning itself with Russia," Tan said, pointing toPyongyang committing ground troops to the ongoing war in Ukraine and North Korea providing Moscow with vast amounts of munitions and military materiel.
In return, Russia has breached international sanctions to deliver fuel, foodstuffs and advanced weapons technology.
Sensing that it was losing its influence over Pyongyang, China has now stepped in to ramp up cross-border trade and ease the pressure on Kim's regime, the analysts say.
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And with two neighboring and ideologically aligned major powers courting Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator is likely to stick to his hardline course.
During the week-long 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in February, Kim ruled out any form of relationship with Seoul, telling delegates that "all ties with South Korea have been completely eliminated" and describing Seoul as its "most hostile entity."
The South's minister tasked with bringing about better ties with the North and, ultimately, peaceful reunification, has a thankless task on his hands, Richey said.
"He is trying to push forward with contacts with the North and I do feel that he is a true believer in reconciliation," he said.
With or without the EU, the true challenge is still convincing Pyongyang to reciprocate.
