President Lee Myung-bak has set North Korea's denuclearization as a condition for improved inter-Korean ties and enhanced economic cooperation. During a policy briefing session of the Unification Ministry on Wednesday, Lee urged Pyongyang to completely abandon its nuclear weapons programs to clear the way for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. The President reaffirmed his principle of reciprocity in his North Korea policy.
Lee sent a clear message to the North that there will be no active inter-Korean cooperation unless the world's last Stalinist country moves toward complete, irrevocable and verifiable denuclearization. His position is a far cry from 10 years of active engagement policy toward North Korea, which was initiated by former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.
The so-called Sunshine Policy of Lee's predecessors has been criticized for unconditional provision of economic assistance to the North, which still refuses to give up its nuclear ambitions. Despite this criticism, the engagement policy has contributed to easing tensions and speeding up economic cooperation between the two Koreas. However, the South's largesse has angered the public, especially conservatives, over the growing financial burden of the recalcitrant North.
Against this backdrop, President Lee's stance represents the negation of the Sunshine Policy. He has set the tone of his North Korea policy based on reciprocity and conditionality. The policy line reflects Lee's pragmatism, stressing the give-and-take mantra to ensure a win-win strategy for both Seoul and Pyongyang. In fact, former Presidents Kim and Roh had to make excessive economic concessions to the North in return for landmark inter-Korean summits ― one in 2000 and the other in 2007.
Despite symbolic meaning, the summits lacked real breakthroughs and national reconciliation at the grass-roots level. The people apparently no longer want to see a big-budget political or media stunt. They have seen the precarious North Korean regime go back to square one soon after shaking hands and signing agreements with its southern counterpart.
It is natural that Lee has put top priority on the North's nuclear disarmament. ``North Korea's leadership has to realize that the settlement of its nuclear problem would be truly helpful to inter-Korean economic cooperation and unification,'' Lee said. His administration has set three goals for this year ― to realize the North's denuclearization and its opening to the world, to expand mutually beneficial inter-Korean economic collaboration, and to continue humanitarian aid for famine-hit North Koreans.
The Lee government has attached four conditions to economic cooperation ― progress in the denuclearization process; feasibility of inter-Korean business projects; availability of financial resources; and public support. These conditions might temporarily bring a deadlock to South-North relations. But the North has to meet them sincerely as long as they really want to move toward reconciliation, peace and co-prosperity