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| President Park Geun-hye speaks during the third meeting of the Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. The blue-ribbon committee was launched on July 15 under the presidential office. / Yonhap |
By Shim Jae-yun
President Park Geun-hye urged North Korea Tuesday to improve its dismal human rights record in order to pave the way for the possible unification of the two Koreas.
"We need to address the North's human rights issue, which is the universal value of humankind, to lay the groundwork for a unified Korea," Park said during the third meeting of the Unification Preparation Committee. The committee was set up in July under the wing of the presidential office.
"The potential unification of the people from the two Koreas will gain momentum only when North Korean residents enjoy a healthy life both mentally and physically."
While introducing the Seoul government's efforts toward unification, Park said, "Despite such efforts, North Korea has yet to show a willingness for dialogue. There has been little progress, humanitarian assistance and civilian exchanges due to the lukewarm attitude of the North.
"Next year will be a significant period during which we need to make progress in inter-Korean relations and induce the North into a meaningful change."
Next year marks the 70th anniversary of both national independence and national division.
Park called on the two Koreas to make concerted efforts toward exploring common traditional culture as a means of solidifying national identity while enhancing the image of the homogeneity of the two Koreas in the international community.
Pyongyang's human rights record has emerged as a major international issue recently with the United Nations having moved to bring the issue to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The U.N. General Assembly has passed a resolution against the North's human rights violations.
The referral of the issue to the ICC will only happen if the resolution is endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. China and Russia, both members of the council, are opposed to the idea of bringing the issue to the court. Given this, the chances of referral are slim.
Pyongyang has been fiercely resisting the U.N. move and has been criticizing the United States for its perceived role in the support for the resolution, for allegedly attempting to topple the Pyongyang regime.
Park has come up with a package of measures for promotion of unification since she called it "bonanza" for the nation and other neighboring countries.
But inter-Korean relations have remained chilly since both sides failed to hold high-level talks originally slated for late October or early November.
North Korea has been critical of the ongoing campaign of sending balloons with leaflets slandering both the Pyongyang regime and its leader Kim Jong-un into the North from the vicinity of the Demilitarized Zone.
The campaign organizers, primarily North Korean defectors and conservative figures, have come under criticism for having ruptured inter-Korean relations with their seemingly reckless propaganda efforts.
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