ID :
43452
Fri, 01/30/2009 - 22:19
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/43452
The shortlink copeid
President Lee says inter-Korean relations will soon be repaired
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- The relationship between the divided Koreas will soon
be repaired despite the current chill in ties, but only when North Korea realizes
it has to work with South Korea to receive the help it needs, South Korean
President Lee Myung-bak said Friday.
The remarks came hours after a North Korean committee on unification and
inter-Korean affairs said the communist nation will no longer honor any political
or military agreements reached between the two Koreas.
"North Korea must realize which country out of the many nations in the world
sincerely works to help it. If the North thinks hard enough, it will realize it
is South Korea that will help it with compassion, and North Korea must realize
this," Lee said in nationally televised roundtable discussion.
Lee noted the inter-Korean relations under his administration, inaugurated 11
months ago, got off to a rough start, but said it is necessary for Pyongyang to
understand it cannot depend on brinkmanship diplomacy forever when dealing with
Seoul.
"I cannot say how long it will take to reunify (the two Koreas), but one year out
of the 60 years the two have been divided is not a long period of time if we want
to normalize the South-North relationship, and we are not just sitting idly," he
said.
The president said there must be a point in the inter-Korean relations where the
two Koreas can start to completely trust each other.
"The relationship in the past often became ruptured after a good run, and then
ruptured again. This was because the relationship set off wrong in the
beginning," said the president.
Pyongyang cut off nearly all dialogue with Seoul as Lee took a tougher stance on
the North than his liberal predecessors, linking humanitarian assistance to
progress in inter-Korean ties and multilateral talks aimed at denuclearizing the
North.
The North tried to significantly raise tension earlier Friday, vowing to discard
all military and political agreements with the South and nullify a maritime
border in the Yellow Sea. There have been two deadly naval clashes near the
border during the past decade.
Lee said the threat is "not new" or one that should cause serious concern.
Despite its repeated threats against Seoul, the North has been widely viewed as
taking an affirmative posture toward the United States, prompting suspicions here
that Pyongyang is seeking to exclude the South in future negotiations with the
U.S. that could determine the fate of the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean president noted this could have been possible in the past when
Seoul-Washington relations deteriorated under his liberal predecessors.
"There could have been such concerns when there was no trust between the U.S. and
Korea, but now the U.S. and Korea are not in that kind of a relationship," Lee
said.
He said U.S. President Barack Obama has personally assured him that Washington
will thoroughly discuss every issue that concerns the two Koreas and Northeast
Asia with Seoul.
"We are waiting for North Korea to understand that the South will work with an
open heart and compassion to help the North. I believe the South-North
relationship will improve before too long," said Lee.
He, however, said he has no immediate plan to send a special envoy to the North,
saying such efforts can be made only when the time is right.
Turning to economic issues, the president noted economic conditions may continue
to worsen in the first half of the year, but said the country will be the first
in the world to overcome the ongoing crisis.
"The government will work to overcome the crisis at hand, but it will also work
to prepare for the future. I believe chance comes to those who create chance,"
the president said.
When asked whether he plans to withdraw his recent nomination for the new
national police chief over the recent deaths of protesters, Lee said it is not
the time to discuss the issue.
The nominee, Kim Seok-ki, came under pressure to withdraw from the nomination
after five squatters who faced eviction due to a land redevelopment project were
killed in a clash with police last week.
The presidential office maintains it will not withdraw Kim's nomination unless he
is found responsible for the deadly clash by a prosecution investigation
scheduled expected to be completed by early next month.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- The relationship between the divided Koreas will soon
be repaired despite the current chill in ties, but only when North Korea realizes
it has to work with South Korea to receive the help it needs, South Korean
President Lee Myung-bak said Friday.
The remarks came hours after a North Korean committee on unification and
inter-Korean affairs said the communist nation will no longer honor any political
or military agreements reached between the two Koreas.
"North Korea must realize which country out of the many nations in the world
sincerely works to help it. If the North thinks hard enough, it will realize it
is South Korea that will help it with compassion, and North Korea must realize
this," Lee said in nationally televised roundtable discussion.
Lee noted the inter-Korean relations under his administration, inaugurated 11
months ago, got off to a rough start, but said it is necessary for Pyongyang to
understand it cannot depend on brinkmanship diplomacy forever when dealing with
Seoul.
"I cannot say how long it will take to reunify (the two Koreas), but one year out
of the 60 years the two have been divided is not a long period of time if we want
to normalize the South-North relationship, and we are not just sitting idly," he
said.
The president said there must be a point in the inter-Korean relations where the
two Koreas can start to completely trust each other.
"The relationship in the past often became ruptured after a good run, and then
ruptured again. This was because the relationship set off wrong in the
beginning," said the president.
Pyongyang cut off nearly all dialogue with Seoul as Lee took a tougher stance on
the North than his liberal predecessors, linking humanitarian assistance to
progress in inter-Korean ties and multilateral talks aimed at denuclearizing the
North.
The North tried to significantly raise tension earlier Friday, vowing to discard
all military and political agreements with the South and nullify a maritime
border in the Yellow Sea. There have been two deadly naval clashes near the
border during the past decade.
Lee said the threat is "not new" or one that should cause serious concern.
Despite its repeated threats against Seoul, the North has been widely viewed as
taking an affirmative posture toward the United States, prompting suspicions here
that Pyongyang is seeking to exclude the South in future negotiations with the
U.S. that could determine the fate of the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean president noted this could have been possible in the past when
Seoul-Washington relations deteriorated under his liberal predecessors.
"There could have been such concerns when there was no trust between the U.S. and
Korea, but now the U.S. and Korea are not in that kind of a relationship," Lee
said.
He said U.S. President Barack Obama has personally assured him that Washington
will thoroughly discuss every issue that concerns the two Koreas and Northeast
Asia with Seoul.
"We are waiting for North Korea to understand that the South will work with an
open heart and compassion to help the North. I believe the South-North
relationship will improve before too long," said Lee.
He, however, said he has no immediate plan to send a special envoy to the North,
saying such efforts can be made only when the time is right.
Turning to economic issues, the president noted economic conditions may continue
to worsen in the first half of the year, but said the country will be the first
in the world to overcome the ongoing crisis.
"The government will work to overcome the crisis at hand, but it will also work
to prepare for the future. I believe chance comes to those who create chance,"
the president said.
When asked whether he plans to withdraw his recent nomination for the new
national police chief over the recent deaths of protesters, Lee said it is not
the time to discuss the issue.
The nominee, Kim Seok-ki, came under pressure to withdraw from the nomination
after five squatters who faced eviction due to a land redevelopment project were
killed in a clash with police last week.
The presidential office maintains it will not withdraw Kim's nomination unless he
is found responsible for the deadly clash by a prosecution investigation
scheduled expected to be completed by early next month.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
