UN-led multilateral talks offer the best hope for peace in Korea

Not since the Cuban missile crisis 55 years ago this week has the world faced such a direct threat to international peace and security as the current US-North Korea nuclear stand-off portends. North Korea’s methodical and unceasing pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them threatens not only the security of the United States and northeast Asia, but also contributes to nuclear proliferation globally.

Contradictory statements from Trump administration officials, including the president himself, are undermining Washington’s capacity to credibly conduct negotiations. Meanwhile, belligerent name-calling on both sides is only making matters worse by increasing the possibility of miscalculation, leading to a catastrophic conflict. That’s why establishing a direct channel of communication is vital, and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s revelation in this regard should be applauded, not derided as “a waste of time” in ill-timed presidential tweets.

Negotiations are another matter. While Kim Jong-un may actually be providing the predicate for future negotiations by vowing “equilibrium” with the US – a goal he probably believes is coming closer to realisation with each additional nuclear and missile test of increasing power and range – they should be conducted on a multilateral basis.

Although Washington and Pyongyang are the key players in this high-stakes stand-off, other parties, notably the United Nations Security Council’s permanent members (China, Russia, Britain and France in addition to the US, known as the P5) could facilitate a negotiated solution to the crisis by playing a more engaged role. After all, the P5 has a track record of success in reaching a nuclear accord with Iran while the bilateral channel has repeatedly come up short.

The UN has been a central player on the “Korean question” from the outset, overseeing the 1948 elections that led to the creation of the Republic of Korea, albeit at the price of ratifying Korean division, while the UN Security Council authorised the use of force in 1950 to repel North Korean “aggression” under the UN flag. Today, the UN Command remains a signatory to the Korean Armistice Agreement, functioning as a guarantor of peace and security on the peninsula.