hankyoreh

Representatives from over 200 organizations including political parties, religious groups, labor groups, and civic groups are calling on the government to reexamine its policies and pursue a shift in inter-Korean relations. The participants at a joint meeting yesterday presented five ideas for such a shift, specifically the continuation of private interchange and humanitarian efforts, reunions of divided families, the resumption of the Mt. Kumkang tourism venture, suspension of the May 24 measures taken in the wake of the Cheonan sinking and guarantees for joint inter-Korean events to commemorate the June 15 and October 4 declarations.
Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik took office with a stated goal of pursuing “flexibility.” These calls show that the subsequent change in the government’s North Korea policy has been nothing more than empty rhetoric. They also represent a warning that there is no hope of restoring inter-Korean relations with the current methods, as well as a declaration that civil society will take independent steps if the government does not act.
Recently, the government undertook expansion and paving efforts for hospitals, fire stations, and roads at the Kaesong Industrial Complex and approved exchange efforts in connection with the Gyeoremal-keunsajeon, Unified Korean language dictionary, and the restoration of Kaesong’s Manwoldae Palace. It also showed a fairly flexible stance on condolences for the late Kim Jong-il and granted approval for aid from private groups in the form of flour, noodles, children’s clothing, and medicine.
But that is as far as it has gone. It has not approved any kind of real humanitarian aid, private interchange, or economic cooperation save for small-scale humanitarian aid from private groups for infants and other vulnerable people or the Kaesong complex businesses and certain non-political cultural efforts. It even denied approval for working-level meetings by the North and South Korean commissions for implementation of the June 15 declaration.
Yu described the May 24 measures, economic collaboration, Mt. Kumkang tourism, the Kaesong complex, and food aid as key issues between North and South and mentioned the possibility of discussions toward execution of the terms of the October 4 declaration. At the same time, he stated the need for North and South to meet as a first step. But by reiterating that dialogue between authorities must come first, he showed that he has not altered his political approach. And he effectively ruled out a meeting altogether by presenting preconditions that Pyongyang is certain to object to, including an apology for the Cheonan sinking. This inconsistent approach---first proposing an initial meeting to settle matters, then canceling that proposal with a demand that issues be settled prior to any meeting---may come across to North Korea as a demand for political surrender. The recent denunciations of Yu coming from North Korea may have something to do with this.
Of course, North Korea’s approach is also problematic. But if we wish to resolve the issues as they stand, we must come up with cool-headed and effective alternatives that take this approach into account. The government cannot be unaware of this, and its stopgap approach seems to some like a deliberate strategy to avoid dialogue. Korea NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea chairman In Myung-jin said that if the government truly wishes to improve inter-Korean relations, it should be making active use of civil society. The government needs to be heeding their advice.
　
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