Inter-Korean Hotline to Crucial to Implement Agreements of Summit in 2000

Posted on : 2008-06-09 13:31 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
“Through it, S. Korea delivers its stance during the second North Korean nuclear crisis,” former unification minister Lim said

Lim Dong-won, who served as unification minister, head of the National Intelligence Service, and top presidential aide for diplomacy and security during the administration of Kim Dae-jung, published his memoir, “Peacemaker.”

In the memoir, Lim, who now serves as president of the Sejong Institute and head of the Hankyoreh Foundation for Unification and Culture, said a 24-hour hotline between South Korean president Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il allowed the two Koreas to implement agreements signed at the historic inter-Korean summit in 2000. The hotline between the two counties has existed since the 2000 summit.

On June 13 of 2000, or the first day of the inter-Korean summit at Pyongyang’s Baekhwawon state guesthouse, the North Korean leader Kim told then South Korean president Kim, “When there is a problem in implementing the agreements, please send Lim Dong-won to Pyongyang,” Lim writes. In response, the former South Korean president said, “How about establishing a hotline between the two leaders to take advantage of this opportunity?” And then, the North's Kim said, “That’s a good idea. Let’s do so.” In the memoir, Lim wrote that, “ establishing the hotline is one of the biggest achievements of the summit.”

At the 2000 summit, journalists in Pyongyang reported the hotline as one of major agreements between the two Koreas. However, the South Korean government denied its existence. In addition, the reports about the hotline were considered misinformation because the hotline wasn’t included into a June 15 joint declaration between the two leaders. However, the memoir showed that the hotline was activated three days after the summit was over.

Since then, the hotline had successfully functioned as an inter-Korean communication system in major events, including a visit to North Korea by heads of South Korean media companies in August 2000, a visit to South Korea by Kim Yong-sun, Pyongyang’s policy chief on Seoul, a naval scuffle in the Yellow Sea in June 2002, a second nuclear crisis at North Korea in October 2002, a plan to visit to the U.S. by the North’s Vice Foreign Minister Kang Suk-ju and two visits to North Korea by the South’s special envoy Lim Dong-won in April 2002 and January 2003. The hotline served as a tool to implement the June 15 agreements by allowing the two leaders to talk each other whenever inter-Korean relations turned sour.

In his book, Lim wrote that the hotline played an important role when the two Koreas were locked in a naval skirmish on June 29, 2002. The naval clash erupted when a North Korean coast guard ship suddenly fired its guns at a South Korean navy vessel. However, North Korea sent a telegram to South Korea in the early morning of June 30, 2002, saying “We confirmed the incident, without any intention or plan, was accidentally caused by low-level soldiers at the scene.” Lim noted that North Korea expressed “deep regret” over the clash, when he quoted the telegram in his memoir. Lim emphasized, “again, the hotline played an important role.”

In October 2002, at the time of the so-called second North Korean nuclear crisis, South Korea used the hotline to deliver its stance on how the North and the United States should resolve the issue. As part of the South's proposals, Seoul wanted Pyongyang to engage in talks to resolve suspicions over the North's uranium enrichment program. Also, the South wanted the Vice North Korean Foreign Minister Kang Suk-ju to visit the U.S. In response to the South's proposals, Kang issued a statement on Oct. 25, 2002, a day before a series of summits at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Mexico. In the book, Lim emphasized that the hotline “served as a very important role in resolving inter-Korean issues because it was in permanent operation until the final day of the administration of Kim Dae-jung.”

In addition, the contents of the memoir included various episodes and key remarks by the leaders of South and North Korea as well as high-ranking officials in the U.S., Japan and China regarding critical issues in Korea.

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