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| Independent presidential hopeful Ahn Cheol-soo, center, poses next to advisors Yoon Young-gwan, left, former minister of foreign affairs and Lee Bong-jo, former deputy unification minister, at Ahn's election camp in downtown Seoul before the candidate spoke on foreign policy, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Chung Min-uck
Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo said Thursday that there was a need to set up a permanent dispute settlement body between the two Koreas in an effort to help resolve persisting tension with the North.
"In order to resolve lingering disputes and manage crises involving the two Koreas, a permanent dispute settlement body should be set up via negotiations with the North," Ahn said during a news conference at his election headquarters in Seoul.
"Inter-Korean relations have hit rock bottom and North Korea's nuclear threat has increased since President Lee Myung-bak took office," he said, unveiling his vision for foreign policy and the North.
The proposal comes amid an ongoing dispute between rival candidates over the late President Roh Moo-hyun's alleged disavowal of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) during his meeting with the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2007.
The NLL is the de facto western sea border between the two Koreas which was drawn up by the United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War (1950-53). The North denies its legitimacy and has frequently sent ships across it.
Ahn also stressed the role of the United States and China in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula. If elected, he said he will initiate "four-way talks involving Seoul, Pyongyang, Washington and Beijing."
The independent candidate also plans to discuss with the North about setting up a joint fishing area in the West Sea while maintaining the NLL as the current border.
Ahn said he would comprehensively engage in inter-Korean dialogue to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.
Experts say it is likely that, whoever becomes the president in the Dec. 19 poll, Seoul will lean toward an engagement policy with the North signaling a departure from the current hard-line policy employed by the incumbent administration.
The three frontrunner candidates ― Ahn, Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party and Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) ― have similarities in their vision for North Korea.
They firmly oppose Pyongyang's plans for nuclear development but at the same time stress importance in engaging in dialogue and economic cooperation with the North.
Differences, however, lie in how to achieve these goals.
Park wants lingering security issues to be settled before engaging in dialogue or building up economic cooperation.
The conservative candidate, during her announcement on foreign policy last week, said North Korea's continued provocations ― two deadly military attacks in 2010 and the crossings of the NLL ― were "unacceptable" under any circumstances.
But Moon and Ahn, liberal candidates currently seeking a unified candidacy, insist on an open approach engaging with the North in security issues, dialogue and economic cooperation, concurrently.
The DUP candidate earlier vowed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in his first year in office without any preconditions if he is elected.
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