N. Korea rejects South’s proposal for liaison offices

Posted on : 2008-04-28 12:28 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Some worry about future prospects for inter-Korean exchange
 the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Worker’s Party
the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Worker’s Party

North Korea has rejected President Lee Myung-bak’s proposal to establish liaison offices in Seoul and Pyongyang.

The Rodong Shinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Worker’s Party, criticized the idea of setting up liaison offices in an article written on April 26 as an “anti-unification antique” and “a trick to evade responsibility for worsening inter-Korean relations and divert public attention.”

This is the North’s first reaction to the South’s suggestion of establishing liaison offices, which was the first made by President Lee to date. Though Seoul anticipated Pyongyang’s reaction to some degree, strained relations between South and North are likely to drag on.

The Rodong Shinmun said that the idea of establishing liaison offices is not new and that “former South Korean officials are using it as a tool to perpetuate the division of the Korean Peninsula.” The newspaper went on to insist that Lee made the proposal out of a feeling of uneasiness and anxiety because inter-Korean relations are about to rupture. President Lee made the proposal during his recent visit to the United States.

The South Korean government, which has sought to resume inter-Korean dialogue following ROK-U.S. summit talks, is of the position that it will observe the situation for a while because it is difficult for Seoul to propose additional dialogue.

On April 26, Cheong Wa Dae said that the South does not have to change its approach because the proposal to establish liaison offices was not a strategic move against the North.” A government official remarked, “Under the circumstances, we should be careful in proposing additional dialogue with the North.”

In related news, the Unification Ministry has prohibited eight young people from taking part in a conference on Mount Geumgang on April 26-28, raising the concern that the number of civilian exchanges between the two Koreas could shrink. The conference was to be held on the subject of implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration and the October 4 summit agreement.

The Unification Ministry says it decided to prohibit certain individuals from visiting the North after consulting with the relevant agencies “based on concerns about national security, the common welfare, and the public order, in accordance with the Inter-Korean Exchange Act.” It said that the eight people who will not be permitted to go to North Korea have either been members of organizations judged by the courts to be “organizations advantageous to the enemy” or are being tried on charges of violating the same law.

However, the government is being criticized for granting permission to visit the North arbitrarily, since some among the eight have previously been to Pyongyang or Mount Geumgang for participation in official inter-Korean exchange events.

“Sometimes they send you, and sometimes they prevent you,” said Kim Ho, the president of the youth division of a South Korean committee for putting the June 15 Joint Declaration into action. “The government’s standards are all over the place.”

Pyongyang is expected to react to the government’s “selective disapproval” of applications for permission to participate in non-governmental follow-up events related to the June 15 Declaration and October 4 Declaration, since it has called both documents “key to inter-Korean relations.”

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

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