Future of DMZ should be decided by two Koreas: U.S. congressman

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- The future of Korea's demilitarized zone (DMZ), which
over the past 50 years has become one of the world's most ecologically well
preserved areas, should be decided by the two Koreas, a U.S. legislator said
Wednesday.
"Frankly speaking, it is up to the North and South to remake the heap of stones
that it inherited from the Cold War partners that never foresaw the unintended
consequences of this artificial barrier we now call the DMZ," said Rep. Eni
Faleomavaega.
The congressman, who chairs the House subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the
global environment, was in Seoul to attend a forum on the DMZ, a 4km-wide buffer
zone separating the two Koreas that remain technically at war as they signed only
an armistice at the end of their 1950-1953 Korean War.
Undisturbed since the war's end, the heavily-mined area has turned into a habitat
for some 2,900 plant species, 70 types of mammals and 320 different kinds of
birds. Many environmentalists hope for the DMZ to be officially recognized as a
wildlife refuge.
"What troubles me most about then and now is how willingly the two Koreas have
accepted what non-Koreans have defined for them. I fully believe only Korea can
map Korea," Faleomavaega said.
The congressman said continued dialogue on the future of the DMZ will help bring
together the two Koreas.
Faleomavaega stressed that inter-Korean dialogue must continue on a separate
track despite the ongoing nuclear row, expressing support for late South Korean
President Kim Dae-jung's engagement policy toward Pyongyang.
"In my opinion, the sunshine policy is not a failure," he said. "It is a
necessary step forward and laid the groundwork for a series of conciliatory moves
by the North," he said.
"Remaking the DMZ will require some to extend a hand ... others to unclench their
fists. Most of all, it will require dialogue and engagement," the congressman
said.
South Korea's Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, however, gave a different view,
saying talks over the DMZ can only begin after the Korean Peninsula is freed from
the security threat of North Korea's nuclear program.
"Peaceful use of the DMZ cannot take place without recognizing the distinctive
nature of the Korean Peninsula, (where) both sides' armed forces are still
confronting each other even at this moment," Hyun said in his speech at the
forum.
On the North Korean nuclear issue, the U.S. congressman proposed a more flexible
approach to proceeding with the six-party talks.
"Who's brilliant idea was it that you have six countries to be the negotiators?
Why can't it be three or four," he said. The nuclear disarmament talks involve
South and North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.
"In my humble opinion, the country that probably has the greatest influence on
North Korea is China ... the country that has the greatest influence on South
Korea ... is the U.S," he said, adding he hopes for the two Koreas, the U.S. and
China to work together on the nuclear issue.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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