Published: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 06:12:38 +0900

Dr. Lankov has an article up in the International Herald Tribune.

Since the UN Security Council ordered sanctions against North Korea, Seoul has done its share of tough talking, and it will probably support the embargo once it is imposed. But it is unlikely that South Korea will maintain pressure on the North for long.

More likely, South Korea will use the first available excuse to walk away from the sanctions, citing, for example, humanitarian concerns (i.e. a major flood in North Korea). Already now, South Korean diplomats are working hard to make sure that the sanctions will not be too harsh, and they will probably find some support from China and Russia.

(...) 

 This might appear strange: after all, South Korea would seem to be the country most threatened by North Korean nuclear weapons. Some Americans blame South Korean indecisiveness on the nationalist left which now dominates Seoul's politics. The major reason for Seoul's attitude, however, is not an inability to grasp the seriousness of the situation, but rather a very real divergence of interests with Washington.

For those who have been following the North Korean nuclear issue, Dr. Lankov really doesn't bring up anything new, but he is educating a wider audience by being published in the International Herald Tribune about the South Korean reaction to the nuclear crisis, which I have not seen one MSM media source accurately explain until Dr. Lankov's article.  

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