President Lee urges N. Korea to give up missile launch

By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, March 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung Bak called on North
Korea Sunday to halt its preparations to launch its claimed satellite, widely
seen as an attempt to test its missile capabilities, saying dialogue and
cooperation are its surest ways to survival.
"What really protects North Korea is not nuclear weapons or missiles, but its
cooperation with the South and cooperation with the international community," Lee
said in a speech at a ceremony marking the 1919 independence uprising against the
Japanese colonial rule of Korea.
"Denuclearization is the shortcut for North Korea to become a member of the
international community and develop," he added.
The remarks come shortly after the communist North last week said it was
preparing to launch a communication satellite, instead of a long-range
Taepodong-2 missile as it has been suspected for weeks.
South Korean and U.S. officials have noted any North Korean launch, whether a
satellite or a missile, would violate a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted
in 2006, prohibiting Pyongyang from any missile-related activities. Experts also
say there is little technological difference between firing off a satellite and a
long-range missile.
The South Korean president said Seoul is ready to "greatly help" North Korea
should Pyongyang decide to give up its nuclear ambition and start working with
the international community.
"The doors to unconditional (inter-Korean) dialogue remain wide open even now.
The South and the North must talk at the earliest date possible," he said.
Pyongyang has cut off virtually all dialogue with Seoul since the South Korean
president was inaugurated a year ago last week, vowing to end what he called
"unconditional concessions" to the communist nation by his two liberal
predecessors, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.
Turning to domestic issues, Lee called on the country to become one to overcome
the ongoing economic slowdown as it did 90 years ago to fight against the
Japanese colonial rule of the nation.
"There can be no you or I in overcoming this difficulty. We must look for ways
through which all of us can live," said the president, noting the country is now
undergoing what he called an "unprecedented economic crisis."
He also called for efforts to prepare for what comes next.
"We must not only overcome this crisis before anyone else, but we must also turn
this crisis into an opportunity to reform and move forward various sectors of our
society," he said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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