SKorea wants North to feel pain over nuclear test claim

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

South Korean President Park Geun-hye made it clear Wednesday that China has a “necessary role” to play in forcing North Korea to back down from its current policy of nuclear armament.

In an address to her own nation, Park spoke of the need to properly punish Pyongyang, after the North claimed last week that it had carried out its first hydrogen bomb test.

Any sanctions would be useless, according to the South’s leader, unless North Korea actually “feels pain” -- Beijing has been accused in the past of failing to ensure Pyongyang feels the squeeze of international restrictions.

On the contrary, the North has refused to engage in denuclearization talks since 2008, and has conducted several nuclear tests and missile launches in that time.

China joined the global community in condemning North Korea’s latest provocation, but it shares a bond with Pyongyang cemented during the Korean War.

Analysts often point to Beijing’s determination to maintain regional stability as a key factor explaining its economic partnership with the North.

A Seoul representative is set to travel to China for talks Thursday, after trilateral dialogue with the United States and Japan on the same question of how best to handle Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, Park said Seoul’s psychological warfare would continue at the inter-Korean border.

Anti-Pyongyang propaganda has been blaring from high-decibel loudspeakers since Friday -- the tactic might seem rudimentary but it has a proven track record and led to a landmark cooperation agreement with North Korea last August.

While the North has responded with its own broadcasts, it also emerged Wednesday that the reclusive state has adopted another strategy commonly employed by activists south of the border.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korean leaflets criticizing Park had floated in balloons as far south as Seoul.