ID :
45381
Fri, 02/13/2009 - 09:05
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/45381
The shortlink copeid
New unification minister willing to meet N. Koreans, but keeps tough tone on nukes
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- Seoul's new unification minister said Thursday he will
seek to resume humanitarian aid and meet with North Korean officials to mend
inter-Korean relations, but retained his tough message on the North's nuclear
weapons program.
Hyun In-taek, a hawkish foreign policy expert, took over the post from a moderate
official amid escalating tension along the inter-Korean border.
"For the peace of the Korean Peninsula and the advancement of inter-Korean
relations, I am willing to meet and talk with North Korea's responsible officials
anytime, anywhere, on any agenda and in any form," Hyun said at his inauguration
ceremony.
President Lee Myung-bak's pick of Hyun in a Cabinet reshuffle last month signaled
there will be no shift in Seoul's stance toward Pyongyang, despite the North's
criticisms and threats of retaliation.
A political science professor at Korea University in Seoul, Hyun was a major
architect of Lee's policy theme that links economic aid to North Korea's
denuclearization, a major break from his liberal predecessors who provided
unconditional aid to improve cross-border relations.
On Sunday, North Korea warned that "inter-Korean relations will grow worse and be
pushed to collapse" if Hyun takes office.
Pyongyang warned of military clashes in recent weeks in response to Seoul's
"confrontational" policy, and South Korean intelligence officials say the North
appears to be preparing to test-launch a long-range missile.
The new minister called for Pyongyang's denuclearization, but pledged his efforts
to resume humanitarian assistance for the impoverished North. Shipments of rice
and fertilizer that Seoul had sent to the North for decades were suspended after
Lee took office a year ago.
"North Korea needs to denuclearize so as to fully improve inter-Korean relations
and become a member of the international community," Hyun said, adding Seoul
"will actively cooperate to meet North Korean needs in humanitarian assistance."
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- Seoul's new unification minister said Thursday he will
seek to resume humanitarian aid and meet with North Korean officials to mend
inter-Korean relations, but retained his tough message on the North's nuclear
weapons program.
Hyun In-taek, a hawkish foreign policy expert, took over the post from a moderate
official amid escalating tension along the inter-Korean border.
"For the peace of the Korean Peninsula and the advancement of inter-Korean
relations, I am willing to meet and talk with North Korea's responsible officials
anytime, anywhere, on any agenda and in any form," Hyun said at his inauguration
ceremony.
President Lee Myung-bak's pick of Hyun in a Cabinet reshuffle last month signaled
there will be no shift in Seoul's stance toward Pyongyang, despite the North's
criticisms and threats of retaliation.
A political science professor at Korea University in Seoul, Hyun was a major
architect of Lee's policy theme that links economic aid to North Korea's
denuclearization, a major break from his liberal predecessors who provided
unconditional aid to improve cross-border relations.
On Sunday, North Korea warned that "inter-Korean relations will grow worse and be
pushed to collapse" if Hyun takes office.
Pyongyang warned of military clashes in recent weeks in response to Seoul's
"confrontational" policy, and South Korean intelligence officials say the North
appears to be preparing to test-launch a long-range missile.
The new minister called for Pyongyang's denuclearization, but pledged his efforts
to resume humanitarian assistance for the impoverished North. Shipments of rice
and fertilizer that Seoul had sent to the North for decades were suspended after
Lee took office a year ago.
"North Korea needs to denuclearize so as to fully improve inter-Korean relations
and become a member of the international community," Hyun said, adding Seoul
"will actively cooperate to meet North Korean needs in humanitarian assistance."
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
