ID :
31404
Fri, 11/21/2008 - 11:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/31404
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea issues further warnings over leaflets: legislator
(ATTN: UPDATES with details from para 7; CORRECTS spelling of lawmaker's name in para 3)
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea threatened further punitive action against Seoul's conservative government if it does not stop local activists from flying propaganda leaflets across the border, a South Korean legislator returning from Pyongyang said Thursday.
The spreading of the leaflets has become a bone of contention between the two
countries recently, with Pyongyang threatening to sharply restrict passage across
their shared border beginning Dec. 1 in retaliation.
"A key North Korean official said his government will get tougher on Seoul, and
asked why the Lee Myung-bak government is so lukewarm on stopping the flyers,"
said Kang Ki-kab, leader of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). "He seemed dubious
about the Lee government's willingness to stop the flyers."
Kang and 19 other officials from his party returned from a five-day visit to the
North Korean capital late Wednesday, brining back cloudy prospects of repairing
the frayed relations between the two Koreas.
The South Korean government has been persuading civic groups to refrain from
scattering the leaflets, but another set of anti-communist flyers were set off
via balloons earlier Thursday.
Conservative activists here, many of whom are families of those abducted by the
North, often fly balloons into North Korea laden with leaflets printed with
messages denouncing the communist regime and calls for North Koreans to defect to
the South. They have been snubbing repeated requests by the South Korean
government to halt the activity.
North Korea also expressed confidence in seeing a softened stance from the
incoming U.S. government, saying it "holds command" over relations with
Washington, Kang said.
"They were very attentive to the direction of the incoming U.S. government's
North Korea policies," he said.
Kang added he had been unsuccessful in persuading North Korean officials on the
need for smoothly running inter-Korean projects, including the joint industrial
complex in Kaesong.
"They were firm on cutting off cooperation with Seoul until the South Korean
government faithfully carries out the inter-Korean accords," he said.
In its latest hostile move against the Lee government, Pyongyang announced last
Wednesday it will partially close the inter-Korean border, which could
effectively suspend operations at a joint industrial complex on the outskirts of
the North Korean town of Kaesong.
The joint industrial site is seen as the last remaining symbol of inter-Korean
reconciliation efforts after tours to North Korea's Mount Geumgang were suspended
in July following the shooting death of a South Korean tourist there.
Among other things, Pyongyang criticizes the Lee government for refusing to carry
out the two major inter-Korean deals struck under Seoul's former administrations.
The two stalled accords, struck in 2000 and 2007, call for expanded economic
cooperation and reunion opportunities for families separated by the 1950-53
Korean War.
Breaking with the "sunshine" policy of engagement pushed by his predecessor,
President Lee has made clear on several occasions that his government will not
expand inter-Korean cooperation projects until North Korea abandons all of its
nuclear ambitions.
The two Koreas, which technically remain at war, are both members of the
six-party talks, which are aimed at denuclearizing the North in return for
economic aid.
Kang plans to request a meeting with Lee to persuade the conservative president
to alter his hardline stance toward Pyongyang, DLP spokesperson Park Sung-hup
told reporters.
"We have further acknowledged the necessity for the Lee administration to
immediately take action in mending the strained ties with the North during this
trip (to Pyongyang)," he said.
Established in 2002, the DLP, controlling five seats in the 299-member unicameral
house, is considered the most pro-Pyongyang among South Korea's political parties
and has visited the North Korean capital on two other separate occasions.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea threatened further punitive action against Seoul's conservative government if it does not stop local activists from flying propaganda leaflets across the border, a South Korean legislator returning from Pyongyang said Thursday.
The spreading of the leaflets has become a bone of contention between the two
countries recently, with Pyongyang threatening to sharply restrict passage across
their shared border beginning Dec. 1 in retaliation.
"A key North Korean official said his government will get tougher on Seoul, and
asked why the Lee Myung-bak government is so lukewarm on stopping the flyers,"
said Kang Ki-kab, leader of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). "He seemed dubious
about the Lee government's willingness to stop the flyers."
Kang and 19 other officials from his party returned from a five-day visit to the
North Korean capital late Wednesday, brining back cloudy prospects of repairing
the frayed relations between the two Koreas.
The South Korean government has been persuading civic groups to refrain from
scattering the leaflets, but another set of anti-communist flyers were set off
via balloons earlier Thursday.
Conservative activists here, many of whom are families of those abducted by the
North, often fly balloons into North Korea laden with leaflets printed with
messages denouncing the communist regime and calls for North Koreans to defect to
the South. They have been snubbing repeated requests by the South Korean
government to halt the activity.
North Korea also expressed confidence in seeing a softened stance from the
incoming U.S. government, saying it "holds command" over relations with
Washington, Kang said.
"They were very attentive to the direction of the incoming U.S. government's
North Korea policies," he said.
Kang added he had been unsuccessful in persuading North Korean officials on the
need for smoothly running inter-Korean projects, including the joint industrial
complex in Kaesong.
"They were firm on cutting off cooperation with Seoul until the South Korean
government faithfully carries out the inter-Korean accords," he said.
In its latest hostile move against the Lee government, Pyongyang announced last
Wednesday it will partially close the inter-Korean border, which could
effectively suspend operations at a joint industrial complex on the outskirts of
the North Korean town of Kaesong.
The joint industrial site is seen as the last remaining symbol of inter-Korean
reconciliation efforts after tours to North Korea's Mount Geumgang were suspended
in July following the shooting death of a South Korean tourist there.
Among other things, Pyongyang criticizes the Lee government for refusing to carry
out the two major inter-Korean deals struck under Seoul's former administrations.
The two stalled accords, struck in 2000 and 2007, call for expanded economic
cooperation and reunion opportunities for families separated by the 1950-53
Korean War.
Breaking with the "sunshine" policy of engagement pushed by his predecessor,
President Lee has made clear on several occasions that his government will not
expand inter-Korean cooperation projects until North Korea abandons all of its
nuclear ambitions.
The two Koreas, which technically remain at war, are both members of the
six-party talks, which are aimed at denuclearizing the North in return for
economic aid.
Kang plans to request a meeting with Lee to persuade the conservative president
to alter his hardline stance toward Pyongyang, DLP spokesperson Park Sung-hup
told reporters.
"We have further acknowledged the necessity for the Lee administration to
immediately take action in mending the strained ties with the North during this
trip (to Pyongyang)," he said.
Established in 2002, the DLP, controlling five seats in the 299-member unicameral
house, is considered the most pro-Pyongyang among South Korea's political parties
and has visited the North Korean capital on two other separate occasions.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
