ID :
43367
Fri, 01/30/2009 - 19:11
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/43367
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea's undoing of detente measures signals return to propaganda era By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's unilateral nullification on Friday of all political and military accords with South Korea heralds the return to a Cold War era marked by hostile megaphone propaganda broadcasts along the inter-Korean border, experts said.
The abrupt move also puts in jeopardy a series of hard-won tension-reducing
measures, they said.
In an early morning announcement, Pyongyang mainly targeted the 1991 agreement on
reconciliation, nonagression and cooperation, widely known as the Basic
Agreement, to which the South's Lee Myung-bak government is more committed than
the two inter-Korean summit pacts signed in 2000 and 2007.
"Today's statement from North Korea focuses on nullifying the Northern Limit Line
and it also affects several tension-reducing steps," said Paik Hak-soon, a senior
analyst at the Sejong Institute, a Seoul-based think tank.
The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, which handles
Pyongyang's relations with Seoul, stopped short of revealing concrete actions in
the declaration.
Paik said he expects North Korea to resume cross-border propaganda activities.
Article 3 of 1991 agreement, ratified the following year, calls for the two
Koreas to stop any campaign to "slander or defame each other." The rival
militaries dismantled all propaganda broadcasting facilities along their land
border after the two sides held a historic summit in 2000.
The North may also withdraw an inter-Korean liaison office at the truce village
of Panmunjom, set up under the Basic Agreement, and cut military telephone lines
intended to avoid accidental armed conflict.
"More importantly, North Korea may move troops on a large scale near the border
with South Korea to escalate tension, as it declared that it would not be subject
to an agreement to build up military confidence and realize arms reduction," Paik
said.
Article 9 of the Basic Agreement says South and North Korea "shall not use force
against each other and shall not undertake armed aggression against each other."
Economic, cultural and other ties, which have already markedly shrunk since the
launch of the conservative Lee administration, are also likely to grind to a halt
as they require military security.
In both the Oct. 4, 2007 summit agreement and the June 15 Joint Declaration of
2000, the two sides agreed to decisively transform their tumultuous relations
into ties of mutual respect and trust, transcending the differences between their
ideology and political systems.
South Korean officials were cautious in predicting Pyongyang's next step.
"The North's latest statement does not clarify what agreement it will scrap,"
unification ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun told reporters. "It is hard to tell
you for sure what agreement North Korea is taking issue with."
The one thing clear is that the North will not abide by a deal on the maritime
border in the Basic Agreement, he added.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
The abrupt move also puts in jeopardy a series of hard-won tension-reducing
measures, they said.
In an early morning announcement, Pyongyang mainly targeted the 1991 agreement on
reconciliation, nonagression and cooperation, widely known as the Basic
Agreement, to which the South's Lee Myung-bak government is more committed than
the two inter-Korean summit pacts signed in 2000 and 2007.
"Today's statement from North Korea focuses on nullifying the Northern Limit Line
and it also affects several tension-reducing steps," said Paik Hak-soon, a senior
analyst at the Sejong Institute, a Seoul-based think tank.
The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, which handles
Pyongyang's relations with Seoul, stopped short of revealing concrete actions in
the declaration.
Paik said he expects North Korea to resume cross-border propaganda activities.
Article 3 of 1991 agreement, ratified the following year, calls for the two
Koreas to stop any campaign to "slander or defame each other." The rival
militaries dismantled all propaganda broadcasting facilities along their land
border after the two sides held a historic summit in 2000.
The North may also withdraw an inter-Korean liaison office at the truce village
of Panmunjom, set up under the Basic Agreement, and cut military telephone lines
intended to avoid accidental armed conflict.
"More importantly, North Korea may move troops on a large scale near the border
with South Korea to escalate tension, as it declared that it would not be subject
to an agreement to build up military confidence and realize arms reduction," Paik
said.
Article 9 of the Basic Agreement says South and North Korea "shall not use force
against each other and shall not undertake armed aggression against each other."
Economic, cultural and other ties, which have already markedly shrunk since the
launch of the conservative Lee administration, are also likely to grind to a halt
as they require military security.
In both the Oct. 4, 2007 summit agreement and the June 15 Joint Declaration of
2000, the two sides agreed to decisively transform their tumultuous relations
into ties of mutual respect and trust, transcending the differences between their
ideology and political systems.
South Korean officials were cautious in predicting Pyongyang's next step.
"The North's latest statement does not clarify what agreement it will scrap,"
unification ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun told reporters. "It is hard to tell
you for sure what agreement North Korea is taking issue with."
The one thing clear is that the North will not abide by a deal on the maritime
border in the Basic Agreement, he added.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
