hankyoreh

Former president Kim Dae-jung accused hawkish members of the U.S. administration for worsening the already fraught Pyongyang-Washington relationship, saying that the neoconservatives are taking advantage of North Korea in order to check China’s power.

During a September 14 interview with Le Monde Diplomatique, a French current affairs magazine published in Seoul, Kim said, "Neocons[ervatives] in the United States are refusing dialogue with North Korea and are taking advantage of the communist regime in order to check China."

The former president continued by saying that U.S. neoconservatives, "assuming China as their enemy, attempt to strengthen the missile defense (MD) system and to rearm Japan. To this end, the U.S. is seeking an excuse, which is North Korea."

Comparing U.S. policy on Pyongyang to its policy in the Middle East, Kim said that "neocons of the Bush administration are pushing the North into a corner similar to the situation in Israel, where a barrier has been constructed against the Palestinians," Kim said in the magazine’s inaugural Korean-language issue.

Former president Kim said "intentionally or not," during the fourth round of six-party talks last September, the U.S. came forward with allegations of North Korea’s counterfeiting of U.S. currency "and the talks completely stopped."

Regarding Japan, Kim said that the problem of North Korean abuductions of Japanese citizens and the pursuit of dialogue "should be separated, but Japanese right-wingers have won popularity by attacking North Korea. Like this, Japan also is taking advantage of the North," Kim remarked.

Kim also had criticism for Pyongyang, saying that "North Korea should understand the meaning of the hard-line policies of the U.S. and Japan and should act accordingly. However, Pyongyang has ruined the situation by repeatedly giving excuses."

In connection with Seoul’s plan to regain wartime operational command from U.S. Forces Korea, Kim said, "Whether or not Washington transfers wartime command, the U.S. will act according to its national interest. However, it is in the U.S. interest to defend South Korea," Kim stressed.

"I don’t think the current South Korean government attempted to choose a different way from the U.S, Kim said, adding that "no nation thinks South Korea is easy to deal with."

Decrying the lack of a strong plan of action in Seoul regarding inter-Korean issues, Kim said, "Unfortunately, we don’t have leadership on problems regarding the Korean peninsula."

He urged President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to meet as soon as possible, saying that the president "should advance a step further than I did, so that the next administration won’t change the current South-North relationship. If necessary, he can sent a special delegate to the North, but the problem will be resolved only through an inter-Korean summit."