hankyoreh

South Chungcheong province

By Seok Jin-hwan, Blue House correspondent

President Park Geun-hye said neither Seoul nor Washington would be making “any concessions or offers” on the crisis emerging from North Korea.

Speaking at a rollout event on May 22 for the KUH-1 Surion utility helicopter at the Army Aviation School in Nonsan, South Chungcheong province, Park said Pyongyang has “continued making provocations and threats recently, refusing our offers of dialogue and launching ballistic missiles.”

“At such moments, we need to be solidifying a solid defense posture and strengthening our security capabilities,” she added.

Park also continued her calls for change from the leadership in Pyongyang.

“If North Korea chooses the path of change, the South Korean government will work hard on the Korean Peninsula trust-building process toward coexistence and shared benefits,” she said.

Her remarks came after May 21 comments on the “trust-building process” by Blue House senior secretary for foreign affairs and national security Ju Chul-ki. Speaking to overseas government officers at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex, Ju said, “Although North Korea is making it impossible at the moment, we plan to make several offers to Pyongyang if dialogue does happen.”

Ju also suggested that priority would be placed on humanitarian aid rather than major events such as summit talks.

“It’s nice to do the kind of momentous things we’ve done in the past, but we can also do a lot of small projects that could offer something real to people who are struggling in North Korea,” he said. “That way, we may be able to build trust and lay the groundwork for reunification.”

The Blue House also commented on May 22 on the China visit of Choe Ryong-hae, head of the (North) Korean People’s Army general politburo, saying that discussions were “currently under way” between foreign affairs authorities in Seoul and Beijing on the schedule for a summit between Park and Chinese President Xi Jinping in late June.

This would be the first time in history a summit with Beijing took place before one with Tokyo.

Ju explained that Japan is “becoming a source of other concerns because of its right-wing tendencies. Because of Japan’s mistakes, we can’t place a lot of emphasis on bilateral relations with Japan.”

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