Inter-Korean relations can be restored with change in attitude, Kim Dae-jung says

Posted on : 2008-05-19 13:10 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
[Interview] Kim Dae-jung, president of South Korea from 1998-2003
 the former president of Korea
the former president of Korea

If the South shows that it basically accepts the June 15 and October 4 joint statements, with revisions and supplements, and offers unconditional humanitarian assistance to the North, inter-Korean relations will be restored, according to former President Kim Dae-jung.

In an exclusive interview with The Hankyoreh in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the newspaper on May 13, Kim remarked that the current administration appears to be changing its position toward the North, but added that he was not sure whether what we are seeing is a fundamental change or not.

Kim gave the current administration a positive evaluation of its remarks on the resumption of dialogue between the two Koreas, the establishment of inter-Korean liaison offices in Seoul and Pyongyang. He also said, “I evaluate that the administration said they are not disregarding the June 15 and October 4 joint statements and they will give unconditional humanitarian aid to the North.” Kim said, however, “It is very important that President Lee Myung-bak resolve the tension in inter-Korean relations with his own remarks.”

Regarding the current state of inter-Korean relations, Kim said, “It seems like a deadlock, but Pyongyang also seems to be taking an excessively hard line.” If President Lee were to make a direct attempt to ease the tension in inter-Korean relations, however, the existing tension would not last long, Kim added. Though he did not provide information as to how he had come to have such an optimistic perspective, he said, “If the South takes the position I’m talking about, the North’s position will also change. This is the information I have obtained. It’s impossible to believe that the North will not have dialogue with the administration of President Lee Myung-bak for five years, the administration’s full term.”

Kim also said, “I think the Lee administration has not, in a sense, done a sufficient amount of research on, or review of, North Korea” and urged the government to have a fair and active attitude toward the North.

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