[imText1]Kim Hee Sang, former National Defense Advisor, said North Korean nuclear weapons were one of the two pillars of Kim Jong Il regime, the other being the Juche ideology. And Kim asserted that unless the Korean Peninsula reunified under liberal democracy, North Korea’s denuclearization would not be feasible.
In a lecture sponsored by Korea Development Institute on Friday, the former National Defense Advisor of President Roh Moo Hyun expected the current North Korean nuclear crisis, even if settled temporarily, would haunt South Korea in the future.
“North Korea’s nuclear weapons development is now almost completed despite of millions of death and international pressure,” Kim argued “and it will not give up the weapons easily.”
On Pyongyang’s decision to come back to the six-party talks, Kim firmly stated “It won’t work.” It was because of China, Kim added, that since China was “happy” with troublemaking North Korea to some extent.
“China improved its international standing after North Korea’s nuclear test” Kim analyzed. Also, the former senior official defined the nuclear strategy of North Korea as “historic,” and it could have never done it without South Korea’s Sunshine policy and Chinese toleration.
On future North Korean policy, Kim affirmed that solution of current crisis was not possible unless North Korea’s “abnormal” regime was changed. “North Korean leaders rule the country without any accountability and there is no hope with such system” Kim said.
“How much longer are we going to let numerous people starve to death and infants get killed in front of their mothers in political prisoners’ camps?” asked Kim.
Kim Hee Sang, a former general of the Republic of Korea Army, served as a National Defense Advisor to the President Roh from 2003 to 2004.
