By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
In a delicate shift from its hawkish stance ahead of the presidential election, the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) Wednesday said it would consider inviting 30,000 workers in North Korea to the South for vocational training programs on the free market economy.
The pledge might calm the jittery North Korean leadership bu could trigger a backlash from conservatives who back the party for its hostile stance toward the Stalinist country. It is still unclear whether the presidential candidate of the party will adopt the plan as an election commitment.
``The GNP has failed to incorporate the changing security environment of Northeast Asia in the post-Cold War era into its policy platform. We have focused too much on a security-first and inter-Korean cooperation-later policy for the past years and consequently have failed to catch up with the changing environment,'' Rep. Chung Hyeong-keun said.
The party has run a task force to seek alternative policy options that can replace its hardline policy toward the North since March. Chung has led the team.
The envisioned policy is the outcome of several months of research, party officials said.
The GNP's decision to search for a new direction is a reflection of the changing security environment after the Feb. 13 agreement made in the six-party talks.
Chung said his party will seek various free economic enclaves in the South and North to help move the North Korean economy forward under a comprehensive development plan.
He said the party is reviewing North Korean youth training programs to help promote their understanding of the free market economy.
The GNP will also pledge to help North Korea become a member of several international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund.
Unveiling the strong engagement options, Chung denounced the policy posture of the Roh Moo-hyun administration and the pro-government Uri Party. ``Their policy has failed to bring change in Pyongyang.
``It is time to seek an alternative North Korea model that can bring peace and prosperity as well,'' the lawmaker said.
He singled out a nuclear-free North Korea, economic reform and openness as a key to kick starting the country's economy.
The GNP said North Korea's economic openness will create a win-win situation for the two Koreas and ultimately help promote a multilateral security environment in Northeast Asia.
Several significant changes have been made in security on the Korean Peninsula since the Feb. 13 nuclear accord.
The U.S. has transferred frozen funds in a Macao bank to Pyongyang via Russia, and chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill of the six-party talks paid a 22-hour visit to Pyongyang. After the visit, Hill said he had a very good talk with his counterpart in the North.
The North also invited a team of officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the Yongbyon nuclear reactor for an on-site inspection.