The situation on the Korean Peninsula is showing fresh signs of improving. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in a recent meeting with South Korea's presidential envoy, Lim Dong Jung, agreed to resume exchanges with the South. Kim also reportedly expressed his willingness to revive dialogue with the United States and Japan.
That is welcome. Kim's positive stance is in sharp contrast to his angry reaction in January to U.S. President George W. Bush's State of the Union address describing North Korea, along with Iraq and Iran, as part of an "axis of evil." The statement increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula and elsewhere in the world. But during his visit to Seoul in February, President Bush appealed for dialogue.
A meeting of diplomats from Japan, the U.S. and South Korea held in Tokyo earlier this week also appreciated the emerging moves toward resuming dialogue. But it is too early to tell whether the situation will actually improve in visible ways. Experience tells us that optimism is not warranted.