Lee stresses consistency on North Korea stance

SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Friday his
government's policy towards North Korea will remain unchanged despite conflicting
signals from the North in recent weeks.

Lee also said that North Korea's "double-faced attitude" may offer clues about
what is happening inside the secretive state.
"Recently, North Korea has shown conciliatory gestures on one hand, while at the
same time claiming progress in its uranium enrichment program. Such a
double-faced attitude indicates a very unstable political situation in the
North," said Lee during a breakfast meeting with security policy advisers.
"At present, inter-Korean relations are at a critical juncture. Our government
won't be swayed by individual incidents. Instead, we'll hold fast to our existing
North Korea policy," he said at the meeting. held at the presidential office
Cheong Wa Dae.
Lee, who stressed the principles of his North Korea policy during his meeting
with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's special envoys last month, also touched on
a recent deadly flash flood caused by the North's sudden discharge of dam water
near the inter-Korean border.
"It is lamentable that our citizens were killed over the weekend by North Korea's
release of massive amounts of water into the Imjin River. The incident serves as
a fresh reminder that the North's behaviors are closely related to our daily life
and security," the president said.
He also stressed the importance of resuming inter-Korean dialogue at the
government level.
"I told the North Korean envoys that the (South Korean) government will push for
international cooperation to dramatically turn around North Korea's economy as
long as it decides to give up its nuclear weapons," said Lee. The envoys came to
Seoul to pay respects after the death of former President Kim Dae-jung, the first
South Korean leader to hold a summit with Kim Jong-il.
"There will be fresh progress in inter-Korean relations, as long as both parties
come to the dialogue table with sincerity," said Lee.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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