North Should Take Sincere Action for Reconciliation
North Korea has boycotted an annual inter-Korean event scheduled to be held in Busan in the South to mark the Aug. 15 Liberation Day. It is disappointing the North will not send its 100-member delegation, disrupting an event that was expected to help promote reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas.
The North has said they it does not want lawmakers from the conservative Grand National Party to have the main seats and deliver speeches during the ceremony, as the party fosters anti-North Korea policies. Earlier it tarnished a June 15 event by opposing the participation of a GNP lawmaker.
It has also cited the need for South Korea and the United States not to go ahead with the annual military exercise Ulji Focus Lens, which it said prevented it from attending the event. North Korea’s civic committee for implementing the joint declaration suggested the two Koreas hold rallies separately. North Korea also demanded representatives of pro-North Korean organizations active in Japan to have freer access to South Korea.
The North appears to have been wary of possible repercussions against the event among right-wing organizations in the port city where anti-North Korean sentiment is strong. The North has decided not to attend the event as its apparent wish to utilize the Busan event for propaganda purposes has been spoiled due to the aforementioned ``unfavorable’’ factors.
South Korea has been adopting a sympathetic approach in dealing with the reclusive North since the June 15 declaration of reconciliation and rapprochement in 2000. The historical accord has helped ease tension on the Korean peninsula to a great extent with various inter-Korean cooperation and exchange programs.
But in the process the South has been accused of maintaining an excessively docile attitude toward North Korea, with give-only policies instead of a reciprocal approach. North Korea’s recent boycott is also likely to trigger criticism of the government’s engagement policy.
Pyongyang has been adroitly attempting to gain interest by making the most of Seoul’s lenient attitude. On Aug. 3, one day before the North informed the South of its boycott, it proposed to hold the inter-Korean ministerial talks in mid-September to discuss economic cooperation projects and South Korea’s possible rice assistance.
This means the North is not willing to freeze the inter-Korean relations as a whole but is intent on getting much-needed economic assistance. North Korea remembers after the 21st ministerial meeting in early June it saw progress in cooperation with the South in light industry and natural resources areas.
The Unification Ministry and pro-North Korean bodies in South Korea are asked to bear in mind that a sympathy-oriented approach only will not be helpful in promoting inter-Korean relations and inducing the North to open up to the outside world.
