The government on Tuesday declared Korea is joining the Proliferation Security Initiative. The government had originally intended to join it shortly after North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket on April 5. But the announcement was postponed due to concerns by officials within the government over agitating the North. Ahead of the announcement, President Lee Myung-bak explained his government's policies in a phone call to U.S. President Barack Obama, who said Seoul's participation was extremely important and he believed Lee had demonstrated international leadership in making the decision.

North Korea has said it would consider South Korean membership in the PSI a "declaration of war." The PSI is a global initiative launched in May 2003 at the proposal of 11 countries, including the U.S., Japan and Russia, to prevent the illicit dealing or spread of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear weapons and missiles. At present, 94 countries are taking part in the PSI. If South Korea joins, its patrol ships can force North Korean vessels in the South's territorial waters to stop, or search its confines.

Opponents claim that such incidents could lead to armed clashes. The South Korean government's position is that a maritime pact signed with North Korea in 2004 already contains the same provisions so that joining the PSI will not lead to more dangerous situations and would have the effect of suppressing the North's illicit trade in weapons.

There is a strong chance that North Korea will resort to more provocations. Armed clashes could occur along the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea, while the future of the Kaesong Industrial Complex could also be jeopardized. The government must be fully prepared to deal with any provocations by North Korea. It had said its joining the PSI was unrelated to its policies toward North Korea, but it joined at a time when UN sanctions are being pursued in response to North Korea's nuclear test. In other words, it has tacitly admitted that the aim is to impose restrictions on North Korea.

The government changed its mind several times, with the Foreign Ministry supporting it and the Unification Ministry opposing it. We need to find out how such confusion and conflict could have arisen involving a diplomatic and national security issue as important as this, find those responsible for the problems and make sure that these mistakes are not repeated.

Most importantly, the government must thoroughly review its North Korea policy following the North's nuclear test and PSI membership. At a time when the entire international community is moving toward sanctioning North Korea, inter-Korean relations will also reflect this trend. But the U.S. and Chinese governments can always opt to open dialogue with North Korea. This has happened repeatedly in the past. The government must be precise in its response to the present situation, but if its view is limited to the present situation, we could lose sight of the big picture and end up isolated.