
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 22, 1994                    TAG: 9406220021 
SECTION: FRONT                     PAGE: A8    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Medium 
DATELINE: 940622                                 LENGTH:

SANCTIONS WON'T WORK: TRADE, NOT WAR

{LEAD} No one seems to know what American policy toward North Korea is at the moment. Former President Jimmy Carter, after his return from his ``private visit'' to Pyongyang, proclaimed the crisis over and said the United States was no longer pursuing sanctions. President Clinton says the United States is still seeking sanctions. Meanwhile, the presidents of both Koreas might soon hold a summit meeting.

The rest of the world seems to be sending the Clinton administration a message: escalating the tension level in Korea is not an acceptable option. The president and his advisers would be advised to turn a deaf ear to those who say he must ``get tough'' somewhere in the world in order to prove his leadership. A more creative approach is needed.

{REST} Economic sanctions rarely have the desired effect. Applying them against North Korea, which has almost no foreign trade anyway, could be worse than useless. They could antagonize North Korea further.

If North Korea is intent on building a bomb, there is little the West can do to stop it short of launching a second Korean war. And there isn't much enthusiasm for that. What, then, to do?

Donald Gregg, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea and a recent speaker here in Norfolk, has suggested a carrot rather than a stick. Convince North Korea that it will be better off without the bomb than with it. Offer the country integration into the booming Pacific Rim economy.

The idea is not far-fetched. Under Chinese prodding, North Korea has already developed a ``special economic zone'' along the Chinese border where trade is flourishing.

The North Korean regime is brutal and unpredictable, but there is no support in the region for confrontation. President Clinton would be advised to take former President Carter's advice and turn down the temperature. More trade, not less, is what North Korea needs. by CNB