N Korea coming in from the cold

As part of its broader diplomatic engagement with the Asean region, the TAC accession will boost the image of the pariah state. After all, it was just a few years ago that North Korea was seen as a maniac with dangerous nuclear ambitions. Missile tests across the Sea of Japan and other security operations have rattled the region.

North Korea joined the other 15 non-Asean signatories for the TAC, which places importance on the principle of non-interference in domestic affairs and the non-use of force.

For Asean, it is a great development that will help peace and regional stability. For years, security on the Korean Peninsula has been a subject of discussion in the region. Asean would like to see the two Koreas engage in dialogue to prevent war, in the fashion that worked successfully to attain peace in war-torn Cambodia in 1992.

A year and half ago, Pyongyang showed interest in acceding to the TAC, knowing full well the future demands in the Six Party Talks and its increased isolation. Close ties to Asean will help North Korea usher itself into a new era. Asean members Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, Burma, Indonesia and Vietnam have good ties with North Korea.

Pyongyang's top priorities are to improve the moribund economy, end food shortages and end its isolation. While the international community will provide humanitarian assistance and financial aid, Asean will provide much-needed diplomatic rapport. Obviously, Pyongyang wants to use the grouping as a bargaining chip against the more powerful Six Party framework. Since 1994, it has been the only forum to engage North Korea. After 14 years of hard bargaining, the country agreed to dismantle its nuclear facility in Yongbyong last year. Recently, it also filed a report of compliance to the members of the Six Party talks.

With the region-wide security group, the Asean Regional Forum, Asean hoped to tame North Korea. But Pyongyang did not use the ARF to discuss and put forward its position on the nuclearisation plan. However, it was at the latest ARF meeting in Singapore that all ARF members discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula. It is interesting to note that if this trend continues, it will raise the ARF profile, which has often been criticised as a talk shop.

Beyond the nuclear issue, North Korea has yet to discuss kidnapping and asylum cases with Japan and Thailand. Japan has placed great importance on a resolution of the emotional kidnapping issue. Pyongyang should be more accountable for its past actions. Tokyo has demanded information on the whereabouts of the remaining Japanese citizens who were kidnapped during the 1970s. The Japanese public want proper closure on this matter. For Thailand, North Korea has resisted providing any information and it has chosen to dismiss the allegations without further cooperation, even though Thailand has proposed a joint committee to investigate. It is sad that Thailand has not paid much attention to the fate of Ms Anocha Khamploy, who was allegedly kidnapped by the North Korean intelligence agency in Macao in 1978.

Credit should be given to former foreign minister Kantathi Suphamongkol for raising the issue with the North Korean government in 2005 when the report appeared. Subsequent governments completely ignored this issue for fear it would jeopardise bilateral relations. Thailand should cooperate with countries that have suffered the same fate, especially Japan, to apply pressure on North Korea to be more accountable.

North Korea's relations with Asean still have a long way to go. The TAC signing is certainly a positive step, but it will amount to nothing if remaining issues with the members of Asean are not resolved. After all, Thai-North Korean relations have suffered since the latter's involvement in the kidnapping of its own Bangkok-based diplomats back in 2000, which worsened bilateral relations until today.