EDITORIAL
Kim's New Year message offers a glimmer of hope
- Published: 6 Jan 2013 at 00.00
- Newspaper section: News
The world was treated to a message of peace from an unusual source on New Year's Day. Of course, the pledge from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to seek reconciliation with South Korea and lift his country out of poverty in itself does not signify a true change of course for the isolationist country. There have been similar statements from Mr Kim's forebears and invariably they have not been backed up by action, at least not for any significant length of time.
The world was treated to a message of peace from an unusual source on New Year's Day. Of course, the pledge from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to seek reconciliation with South Korea and lift his country out of poverty in itself does not signify a true change of course for the isolationist country. There have been similar statements from Mr Kim's forebears and invariably they have not been backed up by action, at least not for any significant length of time.
That doesn't mean that the opening should not be followed up on with bilateral talks between the two Koreas as well as renewed efforts to restart the multilateral six-party talks.
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