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North Korean citizens observe the sixth anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il’s death by bowing before the statues of Kim and his father Kim Il-sung at Mansudae Hill in Pyongyang on Dec. 17. North Korean media reported that party leaders such as Vice Marshal Choi Ryong-hae

The US and North Korea have clashed once again in the UN Security Council chamber. After signs of possible dialogue, things are now all the way back at square one. And the primary blame for this rapid shift in climate over the past few days must be seen as lying with the US and its incoherent behavior.

Before the UNSC on Dec. 15, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson named a “sustained cessation of threatening behavior” as a precondition for dialogue with Pyongyang. After saying three days before that Washington could “talk about the weather if [North Korea want[s],” Tillerson was clearly backtracking from his proposal of dialogue “without preconditions.”

The initial draft of Tillerson’s speech reportedly included mention of dialogue without preconditions, which did not make it into the actual text. It seems pretty obvious that Tillerson had to eat his words after the White House responded to his surprise proposal by declaring that this was not the time for dialogue. It’s basically a case of President Donald Trump squashing Tillerson’s dialogue signal.

This lack of coordination between the White House and State Department will only chip away at the international community’s hopes for the US government. It’s also troubling to see the White House repeatedly reversing Tillerson’s proposals. These incoherent power games are never going to win the trust of any country, let alone North Korea.

North Korean UN Ambassador Ja Song-nam’s subsequent speech, where he treated North Korea’s status as a nuclear power as a fait accompli and dismissed calls to denuclearization, could be seen as a response to this. At the same time, it goes without saying that Pyongyang is not going to win the international community’s agreement with its behavior. This attitude of seeking nuclear power status at all costs is only going to deepen its isolation.

It is at least fortunate that neither Washington nor Pyongyang is completely ruling out the possibility of dialogue. Tillerson said the US does not want war with North Korea and is hoping for a diplomatic solution. Apart from its statements about being a nuclear power, North Korea hasn’t said anything to really provoke the US. In other words, there’s still a chance for dialogue.

Right now, the world’s focus is on the creation of a dialogue channel between Pyongyang and Washington. This is obviously in the remarks of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who stressed the need to immediately reestablish communication channels with North Korea. He also underscored the need to restore channels between South and North – a message the Moon Jae-in administration should take to heart. Seoul needs to do everything it can as a mediator to prevent the US and North Korea from clashing and helping them fix situation through dialogue.

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