Former Pres. Roh’s comments from recently released summit transcripts

Posted on : 2013-06-26 13:00 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Roh talked to Kim Jong-il of solving problems together in the context of building trust
 
 2007.
2007.

By Seok Jin-hwan, Blue House correspondent  

“I’ve had more than 50 overseas meetings, and every time foreign leaders have talked about the North, I’ve acted as a kind of mouthpiece for the North, or its advocate. Sometimes I’ve gotten red in the face.”

“Over the past few years, I’ve been fighting with the US over the North’s position on the nuclear issue at the six-party talks.”

These are some of the quotes from former President Roh Moo-hyun found in the transcript of his 2007 summit conversation with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The first, about acting as North Korea’s “advocate,” was made in the context of a discussion about building trust between the two sides. In the transcript - illegally released this week by the National Intelligence Service - Roh is quoted as telling Kim, “I’ve have always worked to build trust, believing I would have the chance to have dialogue with you. Very little progress has been made in achieving political reconciliation and building military trust, and we now need to really have a discussion about forward-thinking measures to increase trust between North and South, and to take inter-Korean economic cooperation in a more future-oriented direction within a broader framework.”

Roh was also quoted as urging Kim and North Korea - with their emphasis on “solving problems together as Koreans” and “preserving autonomy” - to “acknowledge the reality of the situation.” In particular, he advised Pyongyang to achieve national autonomy with the blessing of the international community by coordinating with the real-world power of Washington and the existing world order.

“If you just open the door to improving relations with the US, I will continue to urge the US to take swift action in response,” he was quoted as saying.

“It’s not good from your standpoint if Washington storms out of the talks, but it’s not good from South Korea’s standpoint either. We can’t afford to let the six-party talks break down, so we need to keep the US on board,” he continued.

At the same time, he also urged Pyongyang to ease up on hostilities for the sake of its own economy.

“If we are to become advanced economies, you are going to need to ease the frictions with the United States, and we’re also going to need to resolve the unpleasant situation with Japan,” he said.

Speaking about Washington’s financial sanctions against North Korea, Roh said, “The US was wrong, but we need support in the international community to resolve the issue in a meaningful way.”

He also encouraged North Korea to participate in the global economy.

“Much as we might like to solve matters just among us Koreans, the reality is we can’t,” he was quoted as saying. “You can’t have autonomy when it causes isolation. The North also needs to join in with the reality of the global economy. You have to join the market. You can’t expect to go anywhere if you don’t.”

He also told Kim, “I hope you understand that the reason we’re keeping people happy and looking to them for cues is not because of toadyism, but because that’s the reality we have to face to keep going.”

 

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