“The Korean Peninsula is facing an important turning point,” President Lee Myung Bak told the opening of the National Assembly earlier today, calling upon lawmakers in the newly convened parliament to focus on the “historic mission” of unification.
“North Korea must re-enter and cooperate with the international community as swiftly as possible, and travel down the road to prosperity with the South,” he asserted. He then went on to urge Pyongyang to follow Myanmar’s example and “take the road of openness,” promising that if that happens then South Korea and the international community alike will be ready to “actively assist them.”
“Peaceful unification is our generation’s historic mission, and we are now preparing for it rapidly,” he said. However, he again pointed to the need for unification funds, saying, “I hope the National Assembly will take a keen interest [in this].”
Elsewhere, President Lee explained that North Korean human rights abuses and the country’s nuclear capabilities are global issues with which South Korea must continue to coordinate with other countries.
He also called upon the parliament to overcome existing partisan divides and work together with the executive and judicial branches towards the national interest.
