International Food Aid for NK Alerts Seoul

By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter

The stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program are showing signs of making progress with the communist regime taking steps to declare its nuclear technologies under an aid-for-disarmament deal.

Last week, Japan said it will remove some of its sanctions against the North on condition that it opens an investigation into abductions of Japanese citizens, a long-running diplomatic dispute between the two sides.

South Korea, the United States, China and Russia also agreed to speed up their delivery of energy aid, a promise that may encourage North Korea to come clean on its atomic developments.

The latest achievements raise the prospects for a fresh round of the six-party negotiations, say officials involved in the talks. The question is: Is it also a good sign for the resumption of the stalled inter-Korean talks?

It appears that the South, which has been critical about providing unconditional aid to the poverty-stricken state since the inauguration of President Lee Myung-bak in late February, is more willing to help it.

``I'm ready to meet North Korean officials to discuss food aid,'' Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan told reporters on May 15.

The North, angered by President Lee's policy of linking inter-Korean cooperation to the nuclear issue, has not reacted to the calls, and shows no willingness to resume the suspended inter-Korean dialogue, either.

Lee made it clear in his Camp David summit with U.S. President George W. Bush that his administration will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the North as long as it asks for it first. The North later called Lee a ``traitor.''

The situation turned around when the U.S. pledged last month to provide 500,000 tons of food aid over the coming year to the North, saying the aid has little to do with its nuclear disarmament deal with it.

``We don't see any connection,'' State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said. ``We're doing this because America is a compassionate nation and the United States and the American people are people who reach out to those in need.''

North Korea welcomed the U.S. offer of food aid, saying the assistance would help alleviate food shortages and improve relations between the two countries.

``The food aid of the U.S. government will help settle the food shortage (in the North) to a certain extent and contribute to promoting the understanding and confidence between the peoples of the two countries,'' the North's official Korean Central News Agency said.

The news sparked worries among South Korean policymakers that Pyongyang may try to mend ties with Washington, while sidelining Seoul in food aid and the international efforts for the North's denuclearization.

Seoul later offered to provide food aid, but the North didn't respond.

Pyongyang's Isolation of Seoul?

The Lee government, however, cut state subsidies to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) carrying out inter-Korean humanitarian and cooperation programs, reflecting concerns about transparency in the use of funds for cross-border exchanges.

The government earmarked about 10 billion won in subsidies for 37 private organizations, which is lower than the 11.7 billion won the Roh Moo-hyun government spent last year.

According to the Unification Ministry, Seoul's humanitarian aid to Pyongyang during the first four months of this year fell 72 percent compared with the same period last year.

``Considering the government's move to cut spending and some questions raised earlier by state auditors about the use of the government subsidies for NGOs, we've toughened screening of NGOs and their inter-Korean programs,'' a ministry official said.

``However, the government will minimize the subsidy reduction to continue civilian exchanges between Seoul and Pyongyang,'' he said.

Due to the chilly relations with the North, Seoul is now discussing with related nations and international agencies, such as the UNICEF and the World Health Organization, whether to provide aid to it.

``Maintaining civilian exchanges is very important as it is not easy to begin government-level talks under the current situation,'' said Cho Sung-yul, a professor at the Institute for National Security Strategy. ``Seoul should continue to show its willingness toward normalizing inter-Korean relations by giving humanitarian aid through international agencies.''

The latest developments in the talks on the North's nuclear programs are also pressuring Seoul to improve relations with it.

Following a meeting between Sung Kim, head of the U.S. State Department's office on Korean affairs, and North Korean officials in Pyongyang, the North said it held ``fruitful'' talks about the scrapping of its nuclear program.

The North's Korean Central News Agency said the two sides held talks on disablement work and on ``completing the provision of political and economic rewards'' for denuclearization.

Regarding its relations with Japan, the North is showing signs of changing its long-standing position on its alleged kidnappings of Japanese during the 1970s and 1980s and appears to be eager to conclude the case.

``We believe there has been a step forward,'' Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said after working-level talks with North Korea last week on the normalization of diplomatic relations. ``We believe North Korea made its move because it decided the overall talks wouldn't advance unless Japan-North Korea talks make a progress.''

Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Japan would lift some of its sanctions, including a ban on ships and chartered flights between the two countries, and restrictions on North Koreans entering Japan.

Critics allege that President Lee is losing opportunities to have a stronger say in international talks on North Korea by simply toeing the U.S. line.

``The North will try to isolate the South as it did before the government of former President Kim Dae-jung, and the South will gain nothing,'' said Park Ji-won, who served as chief of staff for former President Kim and played a crucial role in achieving the summit between Kim and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2000.

jj@koreatimes.co.kr