North Korea sanctions announced by Clinton part of a diplomatic dance for South Korea

Gates and Clinton made a symbolic visit to the truce village of Panmunjom in the middle of the demilitarized zone that has divided the two Koreas since the end of the Korean War. For the first time in the long history of such visits to Panmunjom, 40 miles north of Seoul, the American visitors were accompanied by the South Korean foreign and defense ministers.

After returning from the DMZ, Clinton, Gates, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, and Defense Minister Kim Tae-young held a lengthy four-way conversation in Seoul on that covered a wide range of issues.

The talk seemed to edge carefully around a response to North Korea’s stated interest in returning to six-party talks on its nuclear program that were last held in Beijing in December 2008.

The US has appeared considerably more interested than South Korea at this stage in resuming the talks, but Clinton said afterward that returning to the table was “not something we’re looking at yet.” The Americans and the South Koreans agreed that North Korea had to show signs of a change in attitude. “To date,” said Clinton. “We have seen nothing.”

Worried about more attacks from North

Gates worried about the possibility that North Korea could stage more attacks – a concern also expressed Tuesday by James Clapper, the top Pentagon intelligence official, at Senate hearings in Washington on his nomination to become director of US intelligence.

With North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il building up his youngest son Kim Jong-eun as his successor, Gates sees the need for North Korea to present a strong appearance before South Korea and the world. That’s “something we have to look at very closely,” he said, “and be very vigilant.”

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the “two-plus-two” meeting was that it was the first of its kind between the highest American and South Korean foreign and defense officials.

“Japan and the United States have been having ‘two plus two’ for years,” says Han Sung-joo at the Asan Institute. “Korea wanted to have that for a long time.”

Han says the meeting was brought about in part by talks between President Obama and South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak, who wound up the day hosting Clinton and Gates at a state dinner. The two presidents, in summits in Washington and Seoul, he notes, “got along extraordinarily well.”

Related to North Korea:

• China may join moves to sanction North Korea
• North Korea sinking of South Korean warship not terrorism, says US
• North Korea - All coverage

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