hankyoreh

Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung said that during the first inter-Korean summit in 2000, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had agreed with his view that the U.S. Forces Korea should remain on the Korean peninsula even after unification. The remarks were made during a speech given by the former president at the Korea Society in New York on September 25. He also predicted that President Roh Moo-hyun and the North Korean leader would agree to the creation of industrial complexes, similar to the one located in the border city of Gaeseong, in talks held during the second summit, which will take place in Pyongyang from October 2-4.

The North Korean leader had referred to the invasion of the Joseon Kingdom by China, Japan and Russia in the late 19th century as an example of the importance of foreign help in protecting the country, said Kim. “Upon hearing such remarks, I was very astonished on the one hand, and very much relieved on the other hand,” he said. “The North Korean leader, above all, fervently aspires to normalize relations with the United States. If the North’s safety and survival are guaranteed, he will positively cooperate in resolving the problem of weapons of mass destruction as well as abandoning its nuclear programs,” Kim continued.

As for the agenda of the second South-North summit, Kim said that the two leaders were likely to agree on supporting the efforts of the six nations to resolve North Korea’s nuclear weapons problem and would reach an agreement to realize a peace regime on the peninsula.

He also forecast that the leaders would discuss in depth how the South will participate in the North’s efforts to recover its faltering economy. Kim said that he would expect the summit agenda to include discussions on expanding cross-border economic cooperation, with the construction of a number of industrial parks modeled after the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. In that case, there would be more jobs for North Koreans and the nation would achieve economic development, according to Kim.

When asked for his views on the former president’s speech, Kim Myong-gil, the North’s deputy chief of mission to the United Nations, said to reporters that Kim had continued to strive for the co-prosperity and unification of the peninsula.

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