hankyoreh

In what appears to be a new indication he has no plans to change his approach to North Korea anytime soon, President Lee Myung-bak, speaking to officials from the National Unification Advisory Council (NUAC, Minju Pyeongtong) visiting the Blue House on Friday, said that it is “better to move towards true reconciliation and unification by getting off to the right start, even if that is difficult at first, than to arrive at a bad outcome for having been unexacting about the North-South relationship.”

“Inter-Korean relations must not be used for political purposes, and I have no intention of doing so,” President Lee was quoted by Blue House spokesman Lee Dong-kwan as telling the 450 members of NUAC’s standing and operating committees in attendance. “I will do my best to lay the cornerstone for the true reconciliation of North and South and the development of relations.”

His comments are a confirmation that his administration is not going to alter the tone of its North Korea policy, despite recently worsening relations. Rather, it is going to maintain what it calls its “Vision 3000” plan, in which Seoul would give the North economic aid on a massive scale on the condition it goes through with denuclearization and becomes more open, and will make no new initiatives until North Korea changes.

Lee went on to say that that North and South need to “meet directly” and engage in dialogue “whether about the North-South Basic Agreement or the June 15 and October 4 declarations,” and that Pyongyang “will know the truth of our intentions if we talk.” Dialogue between North and South has diminished in recent weeks following a dispute between the two over leaflets sent to the North by conservative South Korean civic groups. North Korea has since taken several steps to reduce the number of people permitted across the border, leading to speculation about the future of the Gaeseong (Kaesong) Industrial Complex.

“The goal we must strive for is to have the seventy million people of North and South enjoy at least their human rights and live humane lives, based on universal principles,” he said. “Our administration intends to be the most true and loving of our North Korean brethren. Being of the same people, we must help the North when it is in difficulty and we cannot help but assist them.”

“You hear talk about North Korea ‘communicating with the United States and severing relations with the South’ (tong mi bong nam), but that was only going to work (as a strategy for Pyongyang) when the U.S. and South Korea didn’t trust each other. The U.S. and South Korea have more mutual confidence than any time before, so that term should be discarded.”

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