[imText1]Former mayor of Seoul and Grand National Party candidate for the upcoming presidential election Lee Myung Park said on the 14th, “After the leadership is determined, the South-North summit talks will be pushed forward if necessary.”
At a press conference, Lee mentioned, “Nonetheless, the Summit Talks will pursue peace policies or economic collaboration as the purpose is not political issues.”
Regarding this he said, “Currently, North Korea disagrees with the change in South Korean government and will most probably have other expectations on the Grand National Party.” What Mr. Lee means by North Korea’s expectations is anticipations of continuous aid towards the North without any breaks.
On this day Mr. Lee announced the “MB South-North relationship” which contained details on denuclearization and reform in decisively prompting North Korea to surrender its nukes.
Mr. Lee proposed a comprehensive and complete package towards the North which included the complete abolishment of North Korea’s nuclear weapons, support for independent reform which would involve raising North Korea’s national annual income to $3,000.
He also proposed 5 other areas of concern including the economy (raising 100 export enterprises comprising more than $3mn), education (support to develop human power of 300,000 people), finance (establish an international cooperation fund worth $40bn), infrastructure (construction of a new highway) and lastly, welfare (remove absolute poverty through food and medical aid).
Mr, Lee said, “It is a ‘thorough and affinitive approach’ that will be linked to North Korea’s decision to dismantle its nukes in which the international community will also respond with a final decision.” Further he explained, “If this denuclearization, reform and $3,000 plan is implemented, North Korea economy will have an export industry with an investment from the international cooperation fund worth $40bn.”
“If the country continues to grow 15~20% every year, after 10 years the national annual income will reach $3,000 which will allow the economy to take gigantic leaps” he added.
Mr. Lee said, “As long as North Korea’s nuclear issue is not resolved, we cannot achieve a final target to the North Korea policy” and elucidated, “The first and most pressing priority of the North Korea policy is denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Further he said, “I strongly urge General Kim Jong Il to implement the initial actions of the February 13 Agreement and opt for the decision to surrender the nuclear weapons and begin reform.”
Mr. Lee added, “We must allow the separated families in South and North Korea who are over the age of 70 to freely correspond with one another” and said, “This first generation of separated families desire to meet their families. They do not have any more time due to age and death.”
“On the line of humanitarian issues, there is a need to push for the return of abductees and prisoners of war” he said. Mr. Lee even revealed intentions to provide sufficient economic support and aid to ensure that these people are looked after in the case North Korea continued to refuse release.
Regarding the 7th anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration, Mr. Lee said pessimistically, “Not only has it been of no assistance in solving the Korean Peninsula’s most pending issue of North Korea’s nukes, even until now the issue of separated families which is on the agenda of the declaration has not been solved nor any action taken.”
