[Editorial] The president’s irresponsible, hard-line stance on N. Korea

Posted on : 2008-11-04 13:08 KST Modified on : 2008-11-04 13:08 KST
“If the current situation continues for the next five years, nothing will be done... Both sides should accept and embrace one another as they are. Companies that are participating in, or preparing for, (inter-Korean) economic cooperation projects are suffering huge losses as relations (between South and North Korea) continue to worsen.”

The remark was made on October 30 by Kim Jeong-tae, chairman of the South’s Andong Hemp Textiles, which launched the first inter-Korean joint business venture in Pyongyang under the name Pyongyang Hemp Textiles. Currently, most of the modern factories in Pyongyang are owned by Chinese corporations.

In spite of this difficult situation, the South Korean government is still sticking to its hostile policy against the North. The Ministry of Unification had once indicated it would be willing to readjust inter-Korean business projects as soon as the United States delisted North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, which it did on October 11. In what is being seen as an erratic move, however, the ministry now says it “won’t change its principles.” That means the South will not try to bring about a thaw in inter-Korean relations unless the North bows first. A shipment of 3,000 tons of steel to North Korea, aid that was promised under the six-party framework, has also been postponed.

There is a reason why the government is taking a harder line on North Korea. In a meeting with ministers related to diplomacy and national security on October 18, chaired by President Lee Myung-bak, an unusual move in and of itself, Lee was said to have urged those present to continue the hard-line policy toward the North and let go of the perception that the South Korean economy would be negatively affected by the increasing tension with North Korea. It was an about-face for Lee, who had, on several occasions prior to then, proposed talks with the North. Also surprising was the report that Lee believed the U.S. government’s removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors terrorism was the wrong response to the North’s threats and was more like an act of surrender. Were the Foreign Ministry’s welcoming comments about “removal” a fabrication?

What’s worse, President Lee is wrong to be confident about the effects of his current policy on North Korea. In a dinner meeting with GNP lawmakers close to him, members of what has been called the Anguk Forum, on November 1, Lee said, in effect, that he is managing North Korea well and that he is confident. This is an optimistic view that is completely out of touch with reality. Aside from the North’s recent threat to cut off all relations with the South, inter-Korean relations have slowly been losing momentum. Rep. Kim Gwang-lim of the ruling Grand National Party, a frequent visitor to the North who attended the opening ceremony for Pyongyang Hemp Textiles, said the mood there was the worst he had ever experienced.

We would like to tell President Lee that if he wants to go ahead with his hard-line policy on North Korea, he should provide a clear explanation for it and attempt to seek public understanding. If not, we hope he will attempt to improve relations with the North before it is too late. That would be the responsible stance for the president to take.

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