Trouble in The East

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Bill Clinton's Administration has proclaimed Asia "one of the most important regions for U.S. policy going into the 21st century." But recently U.S. Asia policy has taken a downward slide. Washington failed to persuade Japan to adopt tangible targets for opening specific segments of its market to more imports. Secretary of State Warren Christopher visited Beijing under a storm cloud of criticism from the Chinese, who accused the U.S. of interfering in their internal affairs by demanding human-rights improvements in order to continue granting China most-favored-nation trade status. And no sooner had Christopher returned home than North Korea resumed its stubborn cat-and-mouse game over nuclear inspection.

Last week a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it had been prevented from examining equipment that would help determine whether Pyongyang has told the truth about its nuclear program. The North's refusal could set in motion a process of condemnation and sanctions from the U.N. Security Council and retaliation by Pyongyang that Washington has been negotiating for a year to avoid. On Saturday the North's nuclear negotiators stormed out of a meeting with the South. The U.N. may take the matter up this week; the U.S. has reportedly decided to resume plans to conduct joint military exercises with South Korea. North Korea has warned that it would consider these actions serious provocations. In Seoul last week TIME managing editor James Gaines, international managing editor Karsten Prager and Tokyo bureau chief Edward W. Desmond talked over the troubling events with South Korea's first civilian President in 32 years, Kim Young Sam, who will be in China this week for talks on the issue.

In Beijing the two TIME editors, bureau chief Jaime A. FlorCruz and reporter Mia Turner discussed the problem with Vice Premier Li Lanqing, who said China too prefers a nuclear-free Korean peninsula but has "limited" influence over Pyongyang. Li was more concerned about Clinton's human-rights campaign.

South Korea's Kim Young Sam

TIME: North Korea's nuclear program is an open secret. Are you confident they are acting rationally?

Kim: To be honest with you, North Korea is my greatest concern. I think seriously about this every day. I am sure that they are intent on acquiring nuclear weapons, but I don't think that there is any crystal-clear evidence that they have already acquired them. Unfortunately, we cannot trust any promises or pledges they make. In our experience, they abruptly broke all of them. It is also our experience that if you make concessions toward the North, then they come up with another demand for concessions, rather than making a positive response.

So it is difficult to imagine that you can give something to North Korea and expect the same substantial concessions to be made in return. This is exactly the difficulty the U.S. is experiencing now in its dialogue with the North. It is difficult to deal with North Korea patiently, but I think time is on our side. Even if North Korea can develop nuclear weapons clandestinely, that route will lead to its self-destruction. The most important thing in all of this is to persuade North Korea to open its doors and participate in the international community.