Ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker Ha Tae Kyung today called upon colleague Park Geun Hye to step up social and cultural exchanges with North Korea if she becomes the next South Korean president.

Ha told a morning seminar hosted by NK Intellectuals Solidarity, “During the Kim Dae Jung and Roh Moo Hyun administrations many people became interested in North Korea, but under the Lee Myung Bak administration inter-Korea exchanges stopped and interest in North Korea waned. If Park becomes president she should supplement the Lee Myung Bak administration’s North Korea policy by activating social and cultural exchanges.”

“The best way to do that is to allow student exchanges,” he went on. “North Korean students could even be invited to Park’s inauguration! South Korea has already won the battle between the systems and become one of the top developed countries, so there is no chance that South Korean students will fall for the North Korean regime.”

“The Democratic United Party’s policy towards North Korea involves expanding economic cooperation even without national security, and the Saenuri Party’s stance is the opposite. However, both parties now agree on expanding private North-South exchanges,” he added.

Ha continued, “The thing the Lee Myung Bak administration did well was openly discuss North Korean human rights. All things considered, the Kim Dae Jung-Roh Moo Hyun administrations get 30 points for their policy, and the Lee Myung Bak administration gets 60 points.”