hankyoreh

Uri Party leaders and members of the National Assembly’s Unification, Foreign Affairs, and Trade Committee went to the Blue House July 11 and dined with president Roh Moo-hyun, and at the meal the president is rumored to have had especially strong criticism not only for Japanese talk about a preemptive strike on North Korea but also for American policy that aims to pressure it.

“The side we have to deal with is the United States,” sources in attendance quote him as saying. “But since they are an ally, we can't scold them. But we have to go at it with Japan.”

Referring to U.S. sanctions in response to allegations of dollar counterfeiting by the North, President Roh said he “is reminded of the [pre-modern] practice of seonchamhugye,” beheading an accused criminal before sending his case to the king. He compared the allegations, made in early fall 2005, to “demanding to see [the North’s] account books without first showing the evidence” of its alleged counterfeiting activities.

Ealier Roh's comments about Japan were leaked to the press at the time. According to one Assembly member in attendance the comments were “a card played that had many purposes, and even had America in mind.”

A lawmaker in attendence said the president believes one of the reasons North Korea recently fired a series of missiles is because of U.S. policies aimed at pressuring Pyongyang, including recent financial sanctions.

The missile firing was “a political act demanding American concessions,” President Roh is quoted as saying. “And the whole world knows this.” These comments would appear to mean the president thinks the North’s behavior is not sufficient reason for UN Security Council sanctions, which Japan especially has been pushing for.

In the course of talking about recent criticism of his government by the Korean and Japanese media, President Roh said he “tried to keep from giving the press something too controversial,” but that ultimately he feels he “lost to the Korean and Japanese conservative media.” He added that “in the end” he “lost the fight this time.”

“Japan was making noise (about the missile firing) before the missiles were fired. If it had stayed composed, the North would have been disappointed and not fired,” participants quote him as saying. Japan “ended up helping North Korea (launch missiles).”

President Roh told members of his party to “share in understanding of my government's decision not to take an active approach” to Pyongyang's missile launch.

The president is also rumored to have talked about Kim Jong-il. “It would be nice if he stood between the bureaucrats and the military. But he looks at things too much from the military's perspective,” he said.

He said he expects the U.S. to ask the Korean government to slow down the pace of relations with North Korea. “I know quite well that American patience is reaching its limit.”