[imText1]On the 4th, the Grand National Party North Korea policy Task Force Team officially presented a North Korea policy with the aim to “Construct a national community.”
Following the February 13 Agreement, the policy towards North Korea saw a change from severe reciprocity to security and aid.
On this day, the GNP held a joint meeting with national assemblymen and party members in Seoul, officially presenting their proposal “Vision of Peace on the Korean Peninsula” which was based on a denuclearized peace system and economic community.
The new North Korea policy proposed to ▲ denuclearize the Korean Peninsula through the abandonment of North Korea’s nukes ▲ construct a unifying base to establish a peace system on the Korean Peninsula, ▲ mutual prosperity of the South-North through North Korean reform and ▲ resolve the humanitarian issue and establish North Korea’s economic independence.
In particular, regarding the “denuclearized peace system” the peace vision argued it would hold Inter-Korea talks. Further, a “declaration of termination of war” would be looked into for the peace system.
In relation to forming an economic community, economic missions will be established in Pyongyang and Seoul, including a measure to invite 30,000 North Korean students annually for training and education.
As for a cooperative transportation and communication system, the personal exchanges and collaborations that were established according to the `92 Inter-Korean Basic Agreement will be implemented. First, North Korea’s broadcasting and newspapers will be received.
Concerning the living conditions of North Korea people, 150,000tons of rice would be donated freely a year and free food and medicine would be given to people in difficult circumstances such as children, pregnant women and senior citizens.
On the matter of community and human rights, cases regarding the reunion of 1st generation separated families, prisoners of war, the return of abductees and offering donations and goods will also be investigated. The proposal also incorporated establishing an archive base for violations on North Korean human rights and conducting liaisons with North Korean aid and dismantling political concentration camps.
Further, the policy revealed that it would push to draft special measures prohibiting the forced repatriated defectors and obtaining the refugee status for overseas North Korean and also assist defectors in Mongolia, Russia or Vietnam to resettle down in each foreign country. In addition, urgent measures would also be implemented in preparation for North Korea’s sudden situations and mass-defection.
Many agree that the North Korea policy presented on this day was extremely affinitive compared to the previous GNP’s strict reciprocity and denuclearization policy. This kind of change is not completely indifferent to the change in the current U.S. policy towards North Korea following the February 13 Agreement and further reasoning to maintain public image with the upcoming presidential election.
Furthermore, it seems that the GNP’s new policy is trying to act as if it has not been greatly overpowered by the Sunshine policy towards the North. Rather, the GNP may lead the negotiations with the North through the “peace system” on the Korean Peninsula in accordance to the progressions of the February 13 Agreement.
However, it seems that it will take an extremely long time to confirm this proposal in association to the measures taken by the candidates of the upcoming presidential election as well as confrontations with disapproving criticisms and hard line policies.
