GNP’s Vision for North Korea Meets Backlash
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The presidential office has urged the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) to apologize for its previous hard-line stance on North Korea.
In an article posted on its web site Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae criticized the conservative GNP for striving to be a free loader by jumping on the bandwagon of peace march on the Korean Peninsula.
After the GNP unveiled a softening policy vision for North Korea, the party has met backlash from both inside and outside.
The source of criticism from Cheong Wa Dae is the GNP's inconsistent policy stance toward the Stalinist state, while backlash from inside is based on the worries if the policy is meant to recognize Pyongyang's possession of nuclear bombs.
``The GNP leader said last year that the government should halt all cash-based inter-Korean economic cooperation activities,'' Cheong Wa Dae said.
His remarks came, amid growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula following Pyongyang's first-ever nuclear tests last October.
As security issues are on the right track after time-consuming and painstaking efforts, the opposition party now says that they are seeking engagement with North Korea, the presidential office said.
``By using strong phrases such as ``nuclear blasts'' and ``nuclear dust,'' the GNP tried to aggravate the public to generate a sense of threat,'' it said.
Cheong Wa Dae called the GNP a core member of the alliance for anti-engagement policy along with conservative media.
On July 4, the GNP vowed strong engagement with North Korea under the title of ``Vision for Peace in Korean Peninsula.''
Rep. Chung Hyeong-keun, who had kept calling for containment of North Korea, was the architect of the engagement policy package.
The policy vision said the GNP will seek various free economic enclaves in South and North Korea to help move the North Korean economy forward under the comprehensive development plan.
Cheong Wa Dae gave a piece of advice to the GNP. ``Policy consistency has a key to the peaceful Korean Peninsula. If the GNP wants to see sustainable solution in security standoff, it should first dump its opportunistic stance. The party maintained a hawkish attitude when times are bad, and tries to seek engagement when things are going well.''
Presidential contenders of the GNP expressed concerns if the party's stance is a reflection of its de facto recognition of Pyongyang's possession of nuclear bombs.
Former GNP Chairwoman Park Geun-hye commented that the party should preserve its traditional policy posture.
``The outline of its policy was that the North will receive economic incentives if it gives up nuclear ambition. The rule of tit-for-tat should be preserved,'' she said.
It will not be easy to achieve complete dismantlement of the North's nuclear programs, if the party gives up the principle, Park added.
Former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak said that his plan for helping North Korea move forward to achieve per capita income of $3,000 is based on condition that the North gives up its nuclear programs.