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In a special interview granted Tuesday at his home in Seoul’s Donggyo-dong to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the founding of the Hankyoreh, Former President Kim Dae-jung said he wondered if President Lee was surrounded by people who either participated in the Cold War or have an overly Cold War way of thinking.

Kim says the fundamental cause of the worsening of inter-Korean ties was mutual distrust, and that President Lee Myung-bak must explain what he will do with the June 15 and October 4 declarations.

He also said South Korea needed to reopen tourism to Mt. Geumgangsan, which South Korea had unilaterally closed, and build a dormitory at the Kaesong (Gaeseong) Industrial Complex, as was promised to North Korea. He stressed it was time for President Lee to make to make these decisions.

Regarding North Korea’s recent hardline tone, Kim said that he believed North Korea’s real intention was to improve its relationship with the U.S. if only to have it guarantee its security and allows North Korea to enter and be active in the international community. He added that it was time for President Obama to resolve to actualize the September 19 Joint Statement.

On matters regarding domestic politics, Kim said that democracy was something that required coexistence. He said while serving as president, he never engaged in political retribution against anyone, offering an implicit criticism of the sweeping audits of opposition political figures.

About the ruling party’s introduction of a media bill, Kim said that with KBS President Jung Yun-joo being driven from his position, and YTN and MBC undergoing hardship, nobody is going to believe that media reform is necessary. He said media freedom needed to be guaranteed, and that he could not approve of any bill harming that freedom.

Concerning the issue of irregular workers, Kim said it was unfair to discriminate between people doing the same kind of work, and that irregular workers needed to receive compensation and treatment similar to that of regular workers.

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