President Lee Myung-bak burns incense at an alter of the May 18 Pro-Democracy Memorial Tower in the southwestern city of Gwangju Sunday to mourn those who died during their struggle against the military junta led by Army General Chun Doo-hwan 28 years ago. / Yonhap |
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak's rhetoric on North Korea is showing signs of changing toward a more accommodative approach, at least in public statements.
Many North Korea watchers in Seoul said their scrutiny of Lee's public statements indicates that the conservative President is changing his views on the North.
In a speech to mark the 28th anniversary of the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, Sunday, he urged Pyongyang to get on the path of openness and transformation in order to bring new opportunities to ``improve inter-Korean ties,'' a statement his liberal predecessors Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun had said in the past.
Lee had previously indicated that his administration would continue humanitarian aid to the North regardless of the nuclear standoff.
He said, ``South Korea is ready to help North Korea change and move toward openness,'' something Kim Dae-jung, the architect of Sunshine Policy of engaging with North Korea, had reiterated during his presidency.
Lee also said the two Koreas should move from confrontation to co-existence and from hostility to reconciliation.
During his visit to Washington D.C. last month, Kim Dae-jung had commented that he was happy to see the conservative President embracing his philosophy of embracing North Korea through engagement.
The President also stressed the need to ``change'' inter-Korean relations.
``I am keeping my mind open and will always be ready to talk with North Korea to solve pending issues through face-to-face meetings at any time. If the North is willing to change, we will help the country.''
Since his inauguration in February, Lee had indicated that he would take a tougher line toward Pyongyang unless it abandons its nuclear weapons program.
He also said it was necessary to make the nation an advanced country based on the spirit of the ``May 18 Democratization Movement.''
Police guarded the road to the national cemetery where the event was held to stop protesters against the resumption of U.S. beef imports.
About 500 college students, farmers and members of civic groups staged a rally nearby the cemetery against the government's agreement to fully open the beef market.
They criticized Lee for giving up ``quarantine sovereignty'' by allowing bone-in beef from cattle up to 30 months old and even specific risk materials to be imported.
Lee said in his speech, ``I present my condolences to the dead who sacrificed their life to protect democracy and freedom. The spirit of the movement was for great expectations and we need to convert this into the energy to develop the nation.''
He said the time has come for South Korea to move forward with creativity and pragmatism to build an advanced country.
Meanwhile, the President vowed to support Gwangju during his presidency as a representative cultural entity in Asia and to help it win its bid to host the 2013 Universiade.
The city, about 320 kilometers south of Seoul, has seen fewer government-led development projects as past administrations were mainly focused on bettering southeastern Gyeongsang Province.
The President presented balanced national development as a campaign pledge for people in the southwest of the country.
The democratization movement in Gwangju refers to a well-known uprising from May 15 to 27, 1980 when citizens there rose up against the junta with arms to defend themselves.
The movement was labeled as a rebellion inspired by communist sympathizers but later reinstated as an effort to restore democracy from military rule.
The exact death toll has never been reported but, according to the May 18 Bereaved Families Association, at least 165 people were killed and another 65 are still missing due to a military crackdown.
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