World

Obama's North Korea Dilemma

By Pamela Falk

December 20, 2010 / 4:09 AM EST / CBS News

Smoke billows from Yeonpyeong island Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010. AP Photo/Yonhap

The U.N. Security Council, meeting in emergency session on Sunday, failed to reach a consensus during eight hours of negotiations and South Korea began its planned military exercises, with North Korean threats of war and retaliation as the backdrop. The U.N. Security Council weekend negotiations were focused on whether to demand restraint by both North and South Korea -- the position favored by Russia -- or to condemn North Korea's recent military attack -- the position favored by the U.S., U.K. and France, as well as a majority of Council members -- but the lack of consensus left diplomacy taking a back seat to possible confrontation.

With 28,000 U.S. forces in South Korea, the Obama administration is hoping to avert a military confrontation between North and South Korea.

North Korea's Ambassador was at the U.N. as were several South Korean diplomatic representatives to give the U.N. Security Council their views, and after a full day of negotiation, China blocked any condemnation of North Korea, leaving no diplomatic resolution to the crisis.

Calling North Korea a "serial violator" of Security Council resolutions, the UN Charter and the Armistice Agreement, the British representative pointed to North Korea's defiant nuclear program as yet another reason to send a clear message to the government of Kim Jung Il.

The U.S. delegation headed by Ambassador Susan Rice backed South Korea's right to hold its planned military exercises in the Yellow Sea, and negotiated for a stern statement about North Korea's recent military attack against Yeongpyeong Island.

The Security Council was called into emergency session at Russia's request to try to avert a potential military confrontation, after North Korea threatened a catastrophic reaction if the planned military exercises take place next week.

Emerging from the Security Council meeting, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin expressed optimism that a press statement — the weakest form of document the Security Council can produce — would express a meeting of the minds among those nations backing the North and those supporting the South in the Koreas dispute.

U.N. Security Council Meets on Korea Tensions

One of many face-saving ways out of the confrontation that North Korea and its backers want, including Russia and China, is for South Korea to postpone its military exercises, but there is increasing pressure on the government in South Korea to respond to both the March incident involving the sinking of a warship and the November artillery attack on Yeongpyeong island.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, now in Pyongyang on a non-official visit, has proposed that a military hotline be created between North Korean and South Korean forces, and a longer term military commission be established to monitor disputes.

But with recent revelations about advancements in North Korea's nuclear program and a succession of leadership taking place in Pyongyang, the U.N. will need more diplomacy to resolve the disputes between North and South Korea.