hankyoreh

Minister of Foreign Affairs

By Seok Jin-hwan, staff reporter

On Mar. 27, Park Geun-hye gave her position on her administration’s North Korea policy. “We must not try to rush things, but instead seek to develop inter-Korean relations gradually, on the basis of trust, moving one step at a time. We must build a sustainable peace.”

Park was receiving work reports from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification in the guesthouse at the Blue House that morning. “The orientation of this administration’s policies on foreign affairs and North Korea is to lay a foundation for establishing peace and reunifying the peninsula by building and restoring trust between the Koreas on a basis of firm security,” Park said.

The previous day, at the memorial service for the third anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan warship, Park had called for South Koreans to stay firmly focused on national security and asked for change from North Korea. The following day, she emphasized the establishment of peace through restoring trust between the Koreas after being briefed by the ministries responsible for foreign affairs and reunification.

Park also indicated that she considers consistency in foreign policy and the restoration of trust to be important. “Trust is not gained as much in great affairs as it is when we do things that may be small in scale, but which provide practical help to the other party,” said Park. “Only if we consistently carry out our policies, without making an about face each time a new government comes to power or something happens, can we gain the trust of others. Only then can others predict how we will act.”

The work report by the Ministry of Unification also focused on ways to restore trust. The Ministry argued that a real solution to the humanitarian problem, dialogue between the two countries and reciprocal cooperation and exchange are the major tasks for the trust progress on the Korean peninsula. Ryoo Kihl-jae, Minister of Unification reported plans for the trust gained in this way to serve as the basis for pursuing progress in inter-Korea relations and a solution to the North Korean nuclear issue. Ryoo added that they would maintain the current levels of aid provided to the young and the needy in North Korea through international organizations and engage in social and cultural exchange, while also making clear that they would bring the issue of North Korean nuclear weapons to the table in inter-Korean talks.

“We will not allow circumstances to prevent us from making an active effort to improve inter-Korea relations,” said Ryoo, after the work report. “We are hoping for real discussion that can resolve these problems. We will also propose inter-Korea talks when the time is right.”

Regarding the possible lifting of the May 24 measures, Ryoo said, “North Korea needs to take responsibility for the sinking of the Cheonan warship and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. I believe that this can be achieved through inter-Korea talks,” he added.

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