북한과 미국의 실패한 핑퐁외교 - 1979년 평양 세계탁구선수권대회와 북미 관계의 복잡성

Abstract

World Tatble Tennis Campionships at Pyongyang in 1979 and the US table tennis team’s participation in it could be important opportunity for North Korea to form favorable relations with the US. However, there was no ping-pong diplomacy such like the friendly game between the US and China in 1971 because North Korea unreasonably blocked South Korea’s participation in WTTC and the US showed little interest in bilateral relations with North Korea. Despite of failed ping-pong diplomacy, WTTC at Pyongyang contributed to make the South Korea and the US propose triparty talks during the President Carter’s visiting to Seoul in July, 1979. However. North Korea refused it. It typically showed how much North Koreans were obsessed with bilateral contact and relations with the US. For North Korea, bilateral negotiation of US and North Korea could mean that the United States recognized North Korea as a state. Also, it could produce political effect to inhance the prestage of top leader and state of North Korea. In this light, Signing a peace treaty can not be said to be the main goal for Pyongyang’s insistence on bilateral negotiations with the United States. North Korea’s diplomacy around WTTC at Pyoungyang showed it.