Former President Urges Resuming Inter-Korean Dialogue

By Michael Ha

Staff Reporter

Former President Kim Dae-jung, the leading architect of the pro-engagement ``sunshine" policy toward Pyongyang, said Monday the two Koreas must resume dialogue to keep the current situation from getting worse.

``Even if the tourist crossed into the restricted area past the guard post, it is regrettable that the North had to resort to shooting,'' Kim said, according to Park Ji-won, an independent lawmaker. Park served as chief of staff for former President Kim and played a central role in arranging the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000.

``The South and North must take steps to make sure that the situation doesn't deteriorate any further. The two sides should quickly resume the stalled inter-Korean dialogue,'' the former President was reported as saying.

Park also urged Pyongyang to provide a clear account of the incident so that the South Korean public can understand what occurred at Mount Geumgang. The lawmaker told Yonhap News that he feels the shooting death was most likely unintentional. But added, ``The tourist may have crossed the border, but the North side took an excessive countermeasure."

Park Wang-ja, 53, a housewife from Seoul, was shot and killed by a North Korean guard last Friday morning when she had reportedly wandered into a restricted military area. She became the first-ever South Korean tourist to be killed at the Mount Geumgang resort. The east coast tourist spot lies a few kilometers north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The lawmaker said it is in Pyongyang's own interest to fully explain to the outside world what had happened. ``It is clear that the North made a mistake. Pyongyang should agree to a joint investigation into the shooting incident.''

He said it's a shame that the direct telephone and fax communication link between the South and North Korean leaders, first established in 2000, was no longer functioning.

``Because we don't have a direct channel for inter-Korean dialogue, it might take a while longer to fully resolve this situation,'' the lawmaker said. ``We should try to turn this tragedy into a new opportunity of cooperation and coordination. We should continue inter-Korean dialogue no matter what situation arises.''

michaelha@koreatimes.co.kr