Thank you for publishing Ji-Yeon Yuh’s “Don’t give up on North Korea” (Commentary, Feb. 24), which clarifies the real issue at hand: Bush has a real opportunity to defuse 50 years of Cold War tension and bring peace and security to the East Asian region by engaging in dialogue with North Korea. Despite its negative image, North Korea has steadily been working toward peaceful rapprochement with the South, and has made unprecedented efforts toward improving relations with the outside world.
We Americans need to realize that the opportunity for peace on the Korean peninsula is closer than it has ever been in 50 years. The chance is there. Facilitating the peaceful reconciliation of the two Koreas would not only fulfill the overwhelming desire of the Korean people, it would also mean one less “evil” nation for the U.S. to worry about.
