Recently, the news from the Korean Peninsula seems to be unceasing. South Korea’s Hyundai Group Chairman Hyun’s visit to North Korea got results; within the next few days, former President Kim Dae-jung, who was called “giant tree” in South Korea, passed away. Will the “sunshine policy” initiated by Kim Dae-jung be renewed on this land?
South Korea Niuxi Si Communications: On August 21, the North Korean Condolence Mission, led by secretary of the WPK Central Committee, Kim Ki Nam, visited the official mourning hall of the late former president Kim Dae-jung in front of the National Assembly in South Korea and presented a wreath to the portrait of Kim Dae-jung on behalf of North Korea leader Kim Jong-il. It was the first time that North Korean high-level officials came to South Korea since Lee Myung-bak took office in February last year. According to plan, the North Korean Condolence Mission will finish their itinerary in South Korea on the 22nd and return to North Korea.
In the afternoon of August 21, led by the secretary of the WPK Central Committee, Kim Ki Nam, the North Korean Condolence Mission arrived in Seoul and mourned for Kim Dae-jung, the deceased former president of South Korea. On the same day, North Korea abolished the limitation measures of access at the land border between the two countries, and resumed the bilateral official communication channels. Analysts view these acts as the “soothing signal” that North Korea is taking initiative in seeking North-South Korea relations, as well as relations between North Korea and the United States.
Peninsula: Never Peaceful
Since August, the name of the Korean Peninsula has frequently appeared in the newspapers. From August 4 to 5, the former U.S. president Bill Clinton made a sudden visit to North Korea and brought home two female journalists who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison by North Korea due to their crossing the border into that country.
From August 10 to 17, during a non-governmental visit to North Korea, South Korea’s Hyundai Group president Hyun-en-ching not only had the detained staff of the Hyundai Asan Group released, but also met Kim Jong-Il, as he wished. What is even more gratifying is that Kim Jong-il almost met all the requirements that Hyun Jung-eun put forward, including the renewal of the Mount Kumgang tourism project, the restoration of the Kaesong Industrial Park tourism project and the resumption of reunions for families separated between North Korea and South Korea, which had been halted for two years.
South Korea also showed good faith. On August 15, during a speech on Independence Day, President Lee Myung-bak suggested building a high-level meeting of the North-South Economic Community and promoted five large-scale programs to develop North Korean economy, education, finance and other pieces of their infrastructure.
Indeed, the News is Not Entirely Positive
Since August 17, U.S. and South Korean troops in South Korea have held a 10-day large-scale joint military exercise with the code name Ulchi Free Guardian (UFG). The test assumes that there are “foreign invaders;” the exercise is led by the South Korean army with U.S. military support and mainly consisting of computer-based simulation combat. More than 56,000 South Korean soldiers and more than 10,000 U.S. soldiers from the troops in South Korea and other overseas U.S military bases are taking part in the exercises.
It spontaneously aroused the strong concern of North Korea. A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise is an aggressive attempt by America and South Korea, under the pretext of response to emergencies, in order to wait for an opportunity “to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against North Korea.” He also added that North Korea will pay close attention to the actions of the United States and South Korea and “toughly” fight back, if there is any act of provocation.
It is in this volatile atmosphere that the former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung, who made North-South relations improve from hostile to soothing by leading the “sunshine policy,” died. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il decided to send a delegation to offer condolences. Thus, the experts began to speculate whether the “funeral diplomacy” will bring hope for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Prospects: Unpredictable
Some media sources reported that perhaps further contact between North Korea and South Korea due to the funeral can be regarded as the last contribution of Kim Dae-jung to the reconciliation of North Korea and South Korea. However, most experts are cautious. A professor from the University of North Korean studies said: “North Korea’s sending of a condolence mission will ease the atmosphere, but if North Korea would like to talk about politics at the funeral, it will be pointless, because they will emphasize that this visit has nothing to do with the current political situation between the two countries.”
Although recently both North Korea and South Korea took measures of good will, a closer look shows the situation on the peninsula is still not optimistic.
Although Clinton’s visit was well-publicized, the U.S. government straightforwardly pointed out that his visit was non-governmental. At the local time on the 18th, Bill Clinton went to the White House to report to Obama about the visit to Pyongyang and spent a full 70 minutes discussing the North Korea issue. After that, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the information provided by Clinton was “very helpful.” But Hillary denied that the United States’ policy toward North Korea has been changed and said that the United States insists that Pyongyang abandon its nuclear program and return to the six-party talks framework. She said: “Our policy remains the same, our policy is sustaining.”
In addition, the South Korean Hyundai Group formerly played a positive role in Kim Dae-jung’s “sunshine policy,” and Fok Yuen-yan’s visit to North Korea this time was also fruitful. However, both the government and Hyundai Group defined Kim Dae-jung’s visit as “personal travel.”
According to another report, on the 19th, American New Mexico Governor Richardson met with two members in the United Nations delegation of North Korea in his official residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After the meeting, he told the media that North Korea expected to hold “direct talks” with the United States. Nevertheless, on the same day, White House spokesman Gibbs stressed that Richardson’s meeting with North Korean diplomats was “independent of the government.”
If that is the case, there need be no mention of the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise which caused the tension between North Korea and South Korea, if even the well-intentioned moves among the U.S, South Korea and North Korea made people nervous. The tentative attitude from all the parties indicated that the Korean Peninsula remains questionable in terms of a move towards peace.
Peace: More Efforts are Necessary
The interment ceremony of former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung at noon on the 20th was a Catholic ceremony. Kim Dae-jung’s secretary Choi Kyung-hwan said: “the ceremony is not open to the public, only family members are permitted.… Kim Dae-jung will be wearing the shroud prepared by his wife Lee Hee-ho, and will be placed in a wooden coffin with the painted phoenix (the symbol of the president) on it.”
Kim Dae-jung, who was an elected president, impressed people with his image as a democracy fighter and a messenger of peace. Peace on the Korean Peninsula and North-South reconciliation was Kim Dae-jung’s long-cherished wish during his political life.
In June 2000, Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s historic meeting created a new era of reconciliation and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula. Consequently, Kim Dae-jung won the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first and only South Korean Nobel Prize winner so far.
In 2002, Kim Dae-jung’s political heir, Roh Moo-hyun, was elected president. Roh Moo-hyun realized the second inter-Korean summit in October 2007. Therefore, Kim Dae-jung’s dream of peace continued.
However, since the current president Lee Myung-bak took office, South Korea has suspended the “sunshine policy” and has taken a tougher stance. Lee Myung-bak’s “new peace concept of the Korean peninsula” has not brought much comfort to either side. The succeeding deaths of Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung have cast a shadow over the prospects for peace on the Korean peninsula; North-South relations clearly need time to get out of the deadlock.
In addition, experts also pointed out that the situation on the Korean peninsula depends on not only the improvement of relations between North Korea and South Korea, but also more importantly, the progress of U.S.-North Korea relations. Judging from the current situation, in spite of the fact that Clinton’s visit has achieved better-than-expected results, the Obama administration’s policy towards North Korea is still uncertain. At the moment, it is very clear that the United States demands North Korea to return to the six-party talks, however, North Korea is bent on direct talks with the U.S.
[Editor’s note: some quotes may be worded based on translated material].
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