hankyoreh

Ahead of the 8th anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration, there is a growing call for the government to change its policy on North Korea. Following calls for change by experts and scholars at home and abroad, people who were instrumental in moving inter-Korean relations forward in the 1990s are increasingly adding their voices to the din. The group includes former President Kim Dae-jung, former unification ministers Lim Dong-won and Jeong Se-hyun, and Rep. Park Ji-won. Current Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong, who has been tentative about his stance, is also trying to display a different attitude by participating in an event related to the anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration.

The calls for a shift in North Korean policy are not so complex. People are urging the government to clearly acknowledge the October 4 summit declaration of 2007 and the June 15 Joint Declaration of 2000 and pledge to implement them. The two declarations were documents signed by the leaders of South and North Korea after intensive negotiations. Without respect for the two declarations, no policy will make progress in inter-Korean relations. Although the government is emphasizing the South-North Basic Agreement that came into force under the government of President Roh Tae-woo in 1992, it seems to be willing to turn inter-Korean relations back to the way they were in the early 1990s. The South-North Basic Agreement wasn’t implemented because it contains general principles. The June 15 declaration made it specific by outlining a set of practical terms by which it would be implemented. The October 4 declaration, which in turn grew out of the June 15 declaration, contained details on economic cooperation projects to be carried out between the two Koreas.

North Korea is working on the final step of disclosing all of its nuclear activities and is waiting for the next step: dismantlement of its nuclear facilities. To smoothly complete the declaration step, diplomatic efforts by the countries involved in the six-party talks are now in full gear. However, there is little room for South Korea, whose role has seemingly been weakened following the inauguration of the new government. With no leverage in relations with North Korea, South Korea is being driven into a corner and its reliance on other nations is rising.

If and when the situation evolves to the next stage, South Korea could be excluded from key policy decisions related to the Korean Peninsula, including a peace regime for the peninsula and Northeast Asia. Nevertheless, the government continues to neglect deteriorating inter-Korean relations as a result of its tenacity to distance itself from the previous government. By prioritizing this tendency, rather than being focused on the nation and people, the government has no choice but to face criticism about the decisions it has made in this area.

Moreover, there have been no plans made for talks between South and North Korean authorities, in spite of the serious food shortage in North Korea. But before blame is doled out to those responsible, the government should first put a stop to the current situation. The government of President Lee Myung-bak is now on the verge of reshaping its major policy goals. The North Korea policy is among the things on the agenda that should be changed first.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]