HONOLULU -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's initial response to Pyongyang's surprise announcement that it felt compelled to suspend its participation in the six-party talks and that it had manufactured nukes was exactly right.
She said "we need to talk with our allies," and added that the North Koreans "have been told they can have multilateral security assurances if they will make the important decision to give up their nuclear weapons program. So there is really no reason for this, but we will examine where we go next."
Wherever we go next, it should be in lock step with our allies, especially South Korea. Unilateral, contradictory responses will only play into Pyongyang's hands. Pyongyang has taken a significant step out of the nuclear closet, and the other members of the six-party talks should jointly respond. This incident provides an opportunity for Seoul's leadership.