THE Howard Government's decision to resume full diplomatic relations with North Korea after 25 years makes a lot of sense. Other industrialised democracies have come to the same conclusions. In January, Italy became the first of the Group of Seven industrialised nations to restore diplomatic ties. Last month, Japan resumed talks with the North Koreans on normalisation that broke off in 1992.
Contacts are also under way with the United States and some European countries, including Britain.
Judging by Japan's enthusiastic reaction yesterday, it will do Australia no harm at all to have been in the diplomatic vanguard. In April last year came the first sign that the isolated Government of the North was seeking a thaw from this diplomatic freeze when Mr Downer's counterpart wrote to him raising the issue. This led to meetings of officials from the two countries, the first in Bangkok last June and the second in Pyongyang in February, and to talks between the two foreign ministers in New York last September. Australia's decision to agree with relative alacrity to a rapprochement was certainly influenced by the announcement that the presidents of the South and the North would hold a historic summit meeting next month, the first since the peninsula was divided 55 years ago. In practical terms, the renewal of diplomatic ties will not mean a lot.