Peninsula opportunity should not be spurned

Although the signs of easing animosity on the Korean Peninsula are welcome, the offer of talks from Kim Jong-un may represent merely a transient change of tone, rather than a shift in policy, and his overture is likely to come with a price tag.

Kim's nice-guy approach may not last long, if Pyongyang fails to get what it covets. Be that the easing of sanctions, grain, oil or anything else that helps it subsist. Certainly that has been the case in several past attempts at ice-breaking.

Yet, be that as it may, what matters now is whether the relevant parties can maneuver a meaningful break from the tense standoff that has developed on the peninsula.