N-Korean missiles leave 'egg on Seoul's face'

SEOUL, (AFP) - South Korean media Thursday called North Korea's missile launches a humiliation for Seoul's efforts to engage Pyongyang, but some warned not to overreact and set off a full-blown crisis.

"Egg on Seoul's face," ran the editorial headline in the JoongAng Ilbo, calling on South Korea to move closer to the United States and Japan, which have taken a tougher line on Pyongyang.

"The South Korean government has lost enormous face and its foothold in international society because Seoul consistently defended Pyongyang in an attempt to bring it back to the six-party negotiations" on nuclear disarmament, the center-right daily said.

South Korea had earlier played down US warnings that the North was preparing to launch a long-range missile and went ahead with June 15 celebrations to mark the landmark 2000 inter-Korean summit. Pyongyang on Wednesday fired seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which crashed into the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in 42 seconds, amid a stalemate in the six-party talks.

South Korea has since threatened to slash crucial humanitarian aid including a rice shipment to the impoverished North. The liberal Hankyoreh daily cautioned not to overreact, calling the tests typical North Korean brinkmanship to intimidate other countries to change their policies toward the isolated country.

"But the United States and Japan, far from flinching at the threats, are seeking to exploit the threats for their own political and military interests. That's why the missile launch will only backfire," it said.

"It will serve no country's interest if hardline measures bring about more angry reactions and the situation spirals out of control."

But Chosun Ilbo, the South's daily with the widest circulation, said there was no reason for leniency with the North.

"In military strategy, it is a fatal mistake to assume good intentions in an opponent without convincing reason," it said in an editorial.

"The basic idea of our North Korea policy is that the North will somehow change if only it is given enough aid. That has been proved wrong," it said.

"Despite enormous economic aid every season, the administration failed utterly to influence Pyongyang as it had been preparing to launch the missiles since early May."

The Korea Times, echoing the view of many analysts, said the North was likely trying to persuade the United States to enter one-on-one talks.

But the Taepodong-2 was a "humiliating failure" for the North that gives Washington no reason to budge and leaves Seoul with no justification to support its estranged neighbour, the English-language daily said.