North Korea’s Peace Treaty Gambit: Offer or Demand?

I guess it all depends on how it’s said–by North Korea, or by the reporter. It’s not much of a story to me yet, because North Korea has made that demand before, and because the reports I’ve seen on the story don’t mention North Korea offering to sign a formal peace treaty with South Korea or recognize its sovereignty. And of course, what it offers in exchange is to do what it promised to do when it signed the NPT and the Agreed Framework, both of which it flagrantly violated.

Curiously, this new suggestion of flexibility was accompanied by this:

He also demanded that Washington stay out of Pyongyang’s “economic co-operation with other countries”. He then repeated calls for North Korea to be removed from a US list of states that sponsor terrorism, and that all sanctions against it be lifted.

More evidence that being tough with North Korea (fourth item) isn’t as unhealthy for diplomacy as some suggest. In any event, read and decide for yourself.