ID :
68337
Tue, 06/30/2009 - 01:05
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/68337
The shortlink copeid
Unification minister meet predecessors over joint park, N.K. tension
(ATTN: RECASTS lead; UPDATES with quotes throughout)
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Hyun In-taek met with a dozen of
his predecessors Monday to discuss political tensions with North Korea and a
troubled joint industrial park, his office said.
The closed-door consultation came as South Korea plans to head Thursday to a
third round of inter-Korean talks over the park in the North's border town of
Kaesong. Two previous rounds made little progress, with Pyongyang demanding a
hefty wage and rent raise, but refusing to discuss a detained South Korean
worker.
"As there are many issues related to North Korea to figure out, I'm here to get
tips from predecessors," Hyun told reporters ahead of the meeting.
Most of the 12 participants, however, were those who held the post under
conservative governments or were considered hard-line toward the North. Outspoken
liberals who spearheaded engagement with North Korea, including Chung Dong-young,
a key architect of the joint industrial park, were conspicuously absent for
unknown reasons.
Park Jae-kyu, one of the few liberals at the meeting, who served from 1999-2001
under then President Kim Dae-jung, expressed regret that the two Koreas have no
regular dialogue channel, which used to help resolve tension on the peninsula.
North Korea cut off dialogue last year in retaliation against Seoul's
conservative policy.
"I think relations between South and North Korea should move to peaceful
reunification in the end, so the two need to reconcile and cooperate with each
other," said Park, who is now the president of Kyungnam University.
"The Lee government is looking forward to seeing it, but with the current North
Korean policy, it will take quite a bit of time to clear up misunderstandings
between two sides."
Taking office last year, Lee adopted a tougher stance than previous presidents
over the North's nuclear weapons program and ended unconditional rice and
fertilizer aid to the North that had continued for nearly a decade.
The hard-line shift won support from conservatives at home, but liberals and
non-governmental groups hold Lee responsible for deteriorating inter-Korean
relations.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Hyun In-taek met with a dozen of
his predecessors Monday to discuss political tensions with North Korea and a
troubled joint industrial park, his office said.
The closed-door consultation came as South Korea plans to head Thursday to a
third round of inter-Korean talks over the park in the North's border town of
Kaesong. Two previous rounds made little progress, with Pyongyang demanding a
hefty wage and rent raise, but refusing to discuss a detained South Korean
worker.
"As there are many issues related to North Korea to figure out, I'm here to get
tips from predecessors," Hyun told reporters ahead of the meeting.
Most of the 12 participants, however, were those who held the post under
conservative governments or were considered hard-line toward the North. Outspoken
liberals who spearheaded engagement with North Korea, including Chung Dong-young,
a key architect of the joint industrial park, were conspicuously absent for
unknown reasons.
Park Jae-kyu, one of the few liberals at the meeting, who served from 1999-2001
under then President Kim Dae-jung, expressed regret that the two Koreas have no
regular dialogue channel, which used to help resolve tension on the peninsula.
North Korea cut off dialogue last year in retaliation against Seoul's
conservative policy.
"I think relations between South and North Korea should move to peaceful
reunification in the end, so the two need to reconcile and cooperate with each
other," said Park, who is now the president of Kyungnam University.
"The Lee government is looking forward to seeing it, but with the current North
Korean policy, it will take quite a bit of time to clear up misunderstandings
between two sides."
Taking office last year, Lee adopted a tougher stance than previous presidents
over the North's nuclear weapons program and ended unconditional rice and
fertilizer aid to the North that had continued for nearly a decade.
The hard-line shift won support from conservatives at home, but liberals and
non-governmental groups hold Lee responsible for deteriorating inter-Korean
relations.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
