Why Kim Jong-un wants North Korea to be enemies with Seoul

In this June 13, 2000, photo, then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, left, and then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung shake hands in Pyongyang. Photo/AP

If you're old enough to remember this moment, you might know it was a pretty big deal at the time.

But there's a reason why it won't be repeated anytime soon and it has nothing to do with peace and everything to do with Kim Jong-un.

In June 2000, then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung raised their arms together before signing a joint declaration during a three-day summit in Pyongyang.

The talks, paid for by Seoul, were meant to open up better relations and dialogue with Pyongyang, but any chance of staying friendly terms was short-lived.

North and South Korea are technically still at war. They have been since the 1950s.

A series of flashpoints in recent years soured relations, which have worsened under current leader Kim Jong-un.

While South Korea this week offered to talk with its northern neighbour Pyongyang was less enthusiastic, dismissing the idea as "nonsense".

The talks aimed to ease animosities along their tense border and resume reunions of families separated by their war in the 1950s.

Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il raise their arms together before signing a joint declaration at the end of the second day of a three-day summit in Pyongyang. Photo/AP

Kim's tactic

According to New York-based political analyst and Asian specialist Sean King, Pyongyang now deliberately ignores Seoul because it's only interested in talks with Washington.

Talking about the 2000 picture of the two Korean leaders, Mr King said Dae-jung was a liberal former democracy activist who ushered in his "Sunshine Policy" of opening up to the North.

But while his liberal successor, Roh Moo-hyun, followed suit with opening up dialogue, things didn't stay so rosy.

'The next two (conservative) presidents reversed course - pulling back on dialogue with, and aid for Pyongyang while also tightening sanctions over the North's sinking of the South's Cheonan naval corvette in 2010 and its weapons programs," he said.

Mr King said under new liberal president Moon Jae-in, things are now "kind of in the middle".

"Moon wants to resume dialogue with the North but the North's much less interested in the South than it was then," he said.

"Pyongyang needs Seoul less these days, as it's well past its famine and has a much stronger economy by earning hard currency the world over through licit and illicit means."

King said the reality was North Korea simply didn't care about its southern rival.

"It sees the South as an illegitimate colonial puppet and itself as Korea's only true government for the entire peninsula," he said.

King said Pyongyang tunes Seoul out and is only focused on direct negotiations with the United States.

"We of course, tell Pyongyang it must go through US ally Seoul to get to us," he said.

"But newly emboldened with nukes, Pyongyang now thinks it can go straight to Washington."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is determined to build up his missile arsenal. Photo/AP

Secret weapon

Dr Euan Graham, Director of International Security Program at the Lowy Institute, said the reality was it suited Kim Jong-un to have an enemy like the south.

Dr Graham also said the south wasn't as vital to Kim as it was under his father's rule which relied on it for aid following a devastating famine and economic downturn.

He said the initial summit between the two Koreas was a big breakthrough but noted relations deteriorated thereafter quickly, despite a second summit taking place in 2007.

Now relations were in a "deep freeze."

"The current South Korean president wants to open up dialogue but this isn't without conditions," Dr Graham said.

He said North Korea dropping their nuclear program was one of those.

This wasn't something Kim was prepared to do as his weapons were his form of insurance and a bargaining chip to be used with Washington.

Having an enemy also gave Kim "domestic cred."

And while Kim Jong-il met several foreign and past leaders including Vladimir Putin, Fidel Castro and Bill Clinton, his son is more focused on ensuring his rule at home.

Kim Jong-un hasn't met any foreign leaders, even from China, his country's main ally.

"Kim has much less gravitas than his grandfather (North Korean founder Kim Il-sung) and his regime is also more unstable," Dr Graham said.

"Kim Jong-il travelled to Moscow and China. But for Kim Jong-un leaving his country is risky because if he leaves he might not be allowed back in."

Dr Graham said while South Korea is keen to hold talks again, the North calling the idea nonsense "was a clear slapdown".

He also said Kim wouldn't come to the table on any talks until his nuclear arsenal was complete.

"It's all strategic, Kim wants to talk but wants to do if from the point where he has the most strength," he said.

Dr Graham said North Korea didn't need the south as its economy had improved under Kim while still managing to get around the sanctions placed on the country.

He also said opening up dialogue with the South and allowing freedom of movement would allow North Koreans to see how much better life was outside the isolated country.

If people saw that, they would "vote with their feet."

"South Korea produces more goods in one day than North Korea does in one year," he said.

"The big threat isn't Japan or the US, it's opening up with South Korea."