South Korean military exercises on Monday did not prompt retaliation from the North despite similar actions provoking North Korea to fire upon South Korea about a month ago.

The North says the change of heart was to show which country is really the peaceful one. But was the reason actually something deeper?

Reports the N.Y Times:

Some North Korea-watchers in Seoul said that the sudden softening in tone by the North on Monday was likely part of a broader strategy to nudge both South Korea and the United States to the negotiating table. They said North Korea is desperate to win food aid from the South and possibly even security guarantees from Washington as the North’s ailing dictator, Kim Jong-il, tries to engineer the succession of his young and untested third son, Kim Jong-un.

“North Korea was thinking very strategically when it backed down from its confrontational stance,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. “I think they are trying to create the mood for dialogue.”