After Kim Ha Joong, the Minister of Unification, announced on the 13th that the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue is the most important issue in North-South relations, he revealed that only the U.S. can resolve North Korea’s nuclear issue.
Minister Kim said at a luncheon meeting with the Ministry’s press corps on this day, “Other nations can be of help (in the resolution of the nuclear issue), but North Korea wants an improvement in relations with the U.S. and hopes that it will remove the application of the Trading with the Enemy Act and make other favorable gestures.”
In regards to the “two-track” approach adhered to by the Roh Moo Hyun administration called the “Resolution of North Korea’s nuclear issue and progress in North-South relations,” he expressed a change in position, “North-South Korean relations is a situation which can only be worked out through a comprehensive foreign policy. We are not in a position to ignore foreign policy and lead North-South Korea relations.”
As for the prioritization of the U.S.-South Korean alliance and North-South Korean relations, he explained, “With the strengthening of the U.S.-South Korean relations, we could have more dialogue about the U.S. and the U.S. will start listening to talks it would not have previously listened to in light of the alliance. There have been talks about whether or not the U.S.-South Korean alliance and North-South Korean relations will go their separate way, but with the progress in U.S.-South Korean relations, there are many areas in which North-South Korea relations can receive lateral support.”
“From that perspective, rather than focusing everything on North-South Korean relations, we should consider matters as a whole and move forward and when the time comes, we will move (towards North Korea) with a bolder and more tolerant position.”
Regarding President Lee Myung Bak’s policy, ‘Vision 3000: Denuclearization and Openness,’ that when North Korea’s nuclear weapons are abandoned and it steps up to open and reform, the national income of North Korea will be raised to 3,000USD within 10 years, he revealed his thinking that the national per capita income 3,000USD is mostly important.
Then, he said, “If North Korea wants ‘3,000,’ should we implement convincing measures? If North Korea understands the underlying meaning and assumes an active posture, we can open our minds and move forward.”
He added, “We will see North-South Korea relations in the midst of a comprehensive foreign policy, but we will wait and see whether or not North Korea will assume a similar attitude than in the past.”
Simultaneously, the Ministry of Unification authorities who participated in the luncheon said in relation to the humanitarian aid policy towards the North, “A purely humanitarian aid to North Korea needs to consider North Korea’s food shortage and the fertilizer situation. We have made continual requests to the North that it is necessary to increase the transparency in distribution according to the standards of our citizens’ expectations.”
Regarding the connection between North Korean aid and the human rights issue, they revealed the theoretical position, “The North needs to correspond to the our expectations of the issues of human rights, military prisoners of war and abductees and separated families.”
Particularly in regards to the abductee and the military prisoners of war issues, the person in authority noted, “The fundamental principle is to resolve the issues with the national duty. We will pursue a practical position for a realistic resolution. We will also examine diverse measures, in case of that North Korea denies the existence of abductees and the prisoners of war.”
The Ministry of Unification proposed some basic principles regarding the accommodation of defectors to South Korea, ▲ we do not particularly promote defection, ▲ we prevent forced repatriation to the North which goes against the volition of the person and we continue the diplomatic effort to improve the circumstances in the country of sojourn, ▲ we pursue an incentivized resettlement support system which focuses on early resettlement and the ability for self-support.
