Coercive diplomacy is the only path that has a decent chance of solving the current North Korean crisis, said Hillary Rodham Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State.

“Diplomacy, preventing war, creating deterrence is slow, difficult work…especially in the volatile peninsula with proximity to an aggressive actor like North Korea,” Clinton said on Wednesday during a session titled ‘Global Leadership at Inflection Point’ at the 18th World Knowledge Forum (WKF) in Seoul. “But we can’t take shortcuts, we can’t end diplomacy,” she stressed.

Clinton is visiting South Korea to attend the WKF, an annual forum hosted by Korea’s largest business media Maekyung Media Group, which will be held until Oct. 19.

Raising voice against the U.S. President Donald Trump’s incendiary tweets against his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un, she said, “(The insults) have benefited North Korea, a regime that is thrilled to get the kind of personal attention from the leader of our country.” She added that this kind of behavior is “a grave error because it makes any kind of negotiation more difficult.”

“Some people say you’re never going to get a deal with Kim Jong-un. But you don’t know unless you try,” she said.

The former state secretary also highlighted the role of China. “Prior to Kim Jong-un consolidating his power, the Chinese thought they didn’t have to do a lot to control the North Korean leadership. Now they’re finding it more difficult to exercise control because they’re dealing with someone who is unpredictable,” she said. She urged Beijing to take “a more out-front role in trying to tighten and enforce the sanctions” on Pyongyang to restrain the reckless steps Kim Jong-un is taking and lead stability in Northeast Asia.

“We must make it absolutely clear to China that the days of balancing South Korea versus North Korea as a chip in the relationship of balance and tension with the U.S. is no longer a workable strategy because of what has happened in the North and the danger that poses to everyone,” she said, emphasizing unity among allies.

Clinton recently published her new book “What Happened” in which she talks about her experiences and thoughts during the 2016 presidential election when she ran as the Democratic Party’s nominee against Trump.

By Han Ye-kyung, Lee Yu-sup and Kim Hyo-jin

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