Will the US and North Korea communicate through the "pink phone"?, The situation of American soldiers crossing the border into North Korea is still unknown. Washington | North Korea | North Korea
According to a Washington D.C. report by the Effe News Agency on July 21, since a US soldier stationed in South Korea entered North Korea from the Panmunjom Joint Security Zone on the Korean border without authorization on the 18th, the United States has made multiple attempts to contact North Korea, but has not received a response. The whereabouts and health status of this soldier are still unknown.
According to reports, given the lack of diplomatic relations and poor bilateral relations between Washington and Pyongyang, communication is very complex. However, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that "there are still many channels to send information to North Korea.".
Miller refused to elaborate on what these channels are, but the report suggests that one of the communication channels is the so-called "pink phone.".
The report states that this is not a metaphor or fantasy scene in Cold War movies. This pink phone actually exists and is installed in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea - a 248 kilometer long and 4 kilometer wide area located on the border between North and South Korea.
After 23-year-old US Private Travis King was detained in South Korea for causing trouble and ordered to be deported to the United States by the Pentagon, he crossed the border into North Korea from here.
The pink telephone is a direct dial telephone line used for communication between the United Nations Command led by the US military and the North Korean military on the other side, which is only 40 meters away.
According to local media reports, in 2013, North Korea cut off the use of this phone, so the United Nations Command had to communicate with each other through a loudspeaker for a period of time. However, in 2018, the two sides resumed contact through this phone twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
According to the United Nations Command, the line has remained active since then, with at least 98 messages exchanged through the "pink phone" during 2022.
"Communication is very complex. There is no diplomatic relationship between the two countries, but the obstacles are not as big as they seem. If North Korea wants to talk, it can talk," said Mitchell Lerner, an East Asian research expert at Ohio State University in the United States, to Effe on the 21st
Another way for the Biden administration to connect with the Kim Jong un regime is through intermediaries. The Pentagon confirmed on the 20th that it is seeking mediation from Sweden.
According to reports, Stockholm established diplomatic relations with Pyongyang in 1973, and Sweden became the first Western country to establish an embassy in North Korea thereafter.
The Swedish diplomatic mission to the capital of North Korea usually also represents the consular interests of the United States, Canada, Australia, and other Scandinavian countries.
In fact, Sweden played an important role in the preparation process for the historic summit between Kim Jong un and former US President Trump held in Singapore in 2018.
In addition, Pyongyang has a permanent representative office at the United Nations, which the US diplomatic department can use to communicate directly or indirectly with North Korea.
Nevertheless, communication efforts have not been successful, at least at the official level. Pentagon Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said, "All we can do is continue to send messages, whether through public or private channels."
Lerner believes that North Korea has not yet made a public statement "because it likes to appear tough," but he suspects that both sides have already or are about to engage in "some cautious communication.".
He stated that as for the whereabouts of this soldier, there are not many options: he must have been arrested and will be tried for illegal entry.
"If North Korea finds him guilty, he will be imprisoned for a period of time or sent to the United States, where he will be tried by military courts. If he claims to be a follower of North Korea and its ideology, he will be used for propaganda purposes," Lerner added.
