[imText1]On the 4th, governmental officials from North and South Korea met on Jeju-do. It was their first meeting since the cancellation of the inter-state train plan.
At the meeting, North Korean officials who participated in the Cooperative Economic Promotion Committee meeting did not apologize or give any explanation regarding the cancellation of the train service. However, they requested prompt assistance in developing light industry in the North. Many are waiting to see how the South Korean government responds.
On June 26, following the cancellation of the tentative train service, North Korea requested that South Korea hold the Cooperative Economic Promotion Committee meeting. In response, some in the South Korean government said it was “too impudent, and brazen” and “damaged our international credibility as well as our economy”. They said that nevertheless, they will focus on South Korean interests. “In this meeting, it will be hard for any economically cooperative agreement to be drawn up.”
However, the government’s attitude shifted slightly to the opinion that “All is well that ends well”, as soon as the Economic Cooperative Promotion Committee was launched.
On the 4th, Park Bung Won, the Vice minister of Ministry of Finance and Economy Republic of Korea, and South Korean Representative of the Cooperative Economic Promotion Committee, expressed regret in his keynote address for the general meeting saying that, “This should not happen again”. However, at the same time, it appeared that he would be ready to begin a dialogue regarding the resumption of economic cooperation, such as raw materials for the development of light industry, joint development of underground resources, and demand for cooperative development of the Gaesung Industrial complex.
Meanwhile, the government emphasized that, “Public opinion is the most important concern”, thinking that public support would speed economic cooperation. However, Vice Minister Park spent a significant part of the general meeting discussing economic cooperation, laying aside his initial focus.
North Korea openly demanded that the cancellation of the train service not be attributed solely to North Korean actions, although no apology or explanation was offered. The South Korean government, on the other hand, focused on economic cooperation with possible conditions to aid sent to the North. It was a far cry from discussing public opinion, which had initially been the focus of the South Korean government.
The government explained the cancellation with the excuse that opposition of North Korean military authority prevented cooperation on the project. In response, Hwang Jang Yop, Former International Secretary of the North Korean Workers’ Party, said that, “It is silly of people to believe that”. Former Vice Minister of the National Unification Department, Song Young Dae, said that, “Officials of the Roh Moo Hyun administration concerned with North-South negotiations seem to accept North Korea’s explanation”. It does seem as though the South Korean government is faithfully following a script, allowing the Kim Jong Il regime all the profits of the South.
North Korea has traditionally followed the “conditional negotiation strategy theory”, in which new suggestions are made when an agreement is drawn up. It seems as though the North is using the cancellation of the train service as leverage for renegotiation of the NLL (Northern Limit Line) in the South Sea. Such actions have become so common in North-South negatiations that former Vice Minister, Song Young Dae, with a 30-year history in North-South negotiations said, “When dealing with stubborn North Korea, it is best to act on principle”.
When North Korea unilaterally cancelled the train service and placed the blame on South Korea, the South Korean government should not have continued to offer the aid supply of rice, fertilizer, shoes, soap, and medical supplies, which amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A South Korean government that tries to bribe North Korea into good behavior is ineffective. The government should hold to its initial statement that it will not reach any agreement at the 12th Cooperative Economic Promotion Committee unless the North fulfills its side of the agreement. Furthermore, it should not aid North Korea in the future without acceptance of the development of the train service and a clear apology for past actions.
