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From left to right, Sejong Institute Chairman Moon Chung-in, Former South Korean Minister of Unification Lim Dong-won, National Unification Advisory Council Executive Vice Chair Jeong Se-hyun and Democratic Peace Plaza co-representative Lee Jong-seok attend a special roundtable Tuesday to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration of 2000 organized by the Democratic Peace Plaza’s Korean Peninsula Peace Headquarters at the Kim Koo Museum and Library in Seoul. (Yonhap News).

Former South Korean Minister of Unification Lim Dong-won said Tuesday that the North Korean nuclear issue “could be resolved with a decision by the US to normalize relations” with Pyongyang.

Lim’s remarks came during a special roundtable that day to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration of 2000, an event organized by the Democratic Peace Plaza’s Korean Peninsula Peace Headquarters at the Kim Koo Museum and Library in Seoul’s Yongsan District.

“Our experience over the past 30 years of history has been that no matter how hard South and North have worked, they haven’t been able to move forward when the US has put on the brakes,” he said.

Noting that Seoul and Pyongyang “have been able to persuade Washington when they’ve joined forces and worked together,” he said that the “key thing is ultimately Washington’s determination.”

Lim also noted that the US had “formed diplomatic relations with China under President Jimmy Carter [in 1979], with Vietnam under President Bill Clinton [in 1995], and with Cuba under President Barack Obama [in 2015].”

“North Korea is the only country that the US has maintained an unresolved antagonistic relationship with since the Cold War ended,” he said.

He further noted that the presidents who had resolved antagonistic relationships and established diplomatic relations with China, Vietnam and Cuba were “all Democrats.”

“I have high hopes for President Joe Biden,” he said. “I think President Biden is capable of clearing away the hostile relationship with North Korea and resolving the nuclear issue.”

Stressing that there is “no such thing as eternal enemies or eternal friends in international relations,” he declared that “the resolution of the nuclear issue and normalization of US-North Korea relations is possible with a determination by the US.”

Another former Minister of Unification, National Unification Advisory Council Executive Vice Chair Jeong Se-hyun, shared ideas about improving inter-Korean relations and resuming the Korean Peninsula peace process.

“We need to make a definite declaration that we are suspending the joint South Korea-US military exercises scheduled for August,” he advised.

“President Moon Jae-in needs to give clear directions to the Minister of Defense, instructing him to hold discussions with the US toward not proceeding with the exercises,” he said.

“If we suspend the joint exercises, we can create another situation like spring 2018 [when rapid progress was made in inter-Korean and North Korea-US relations], whereas if we go ahead with the exercises, the situation is going to continue the way it is now [without breaking out of its current deadlock],” he said.

“This requires resolution from the President,” he added.

The moderator for the event was Sejong Institute Chairman Moon Chung-in, who asked whether North Korea “needs to move first to provide South Korea with a justification for suspending the joint exercises.”

In response, Democratic Peace Plaza co-representative and Sejong Institute senior research fellow Lee Jong-seok — also a former Minister of Unification — came down on the side of suspending the exercises without waiting for North Korea to provide a pretext.

“We need to make a strategic determination as to which is more urgent, joint military exercises with the US or denuclearization, and act according to that determination,” he said.

In response to the same question from Moon, Lim said, “I agree with both views,” sharing his view that the joint military exercises needed to be suspended if the Korean Peninsula peace process is to be set in motion again.

Lee Jong-seok said, “We need the courage to propose discussing any issues that arise even within the framework of the South Korea-US alliance within an international forum, and we need to faithfully implement inter-Korean agreements if we want the moral high ground to chastise North Korea for its mistakes.”

“This is a moment that urgently demands an attitude of autonomy and leadership from us,” he said.

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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