Seoul Urges Pyongyang to Restart Nuclear Disablement
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak complained Monday that the sunshine policy of engaging North Korea failed to bring intended effects on Seoul's relations with Pyongyang.
Chief nuclear negotiator Kim Sook, meanwhile, urged North Korea to restart disabling its nuclear reactor, playing down Pyongyang's proclamation last week of a sudden halt to the disablement as the isolated regime's typical brinkmanship.
In his speech at an international forum in Seoul, President Lee said: ``Seoul sought to improve relations with North Korea and get it to come closer to the international community through the policy, but it couldn't do so.''
The comment is viewed as an indication that the Lee government will follow a tougher but more pragmatic line with North Korea than his liberal predecessors ― Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun ― who have been criticized for giving too much concession to the communist North.
Lee also reiterated the importance for North Korea's efforts to get rid of all nuclear weapons before it gets aid from Seoul.
``The North Korean announcement appears to be a typical tactic,'' Kim said during the forum. ``They are trying to pressure the U.S. and the other parties to back down on their demand for rigorous verification, rather than engaging in serious negotiations to resolve the issues related to the verification protocol.''
Kim reaffirmed Seoul's policy of ``not overreacting'' to Pyongyang's announcement last Tuesday that it stopped disabling its main plutonium-producing reactor in Yongbyon and will even consider restoring it.
The North had claimed earlier that it finished more than 80 percent of the disablement, a core part of the slow-going second phase of the three-tier denuclearization process.
The threats came after Washington delayed removing the communist nation from its list of terror sponsors. The U.S. demands that the North first agree to measures on checking the veracity of its nuclear declaration in June.
``If North Korea believes that it can weaken the resolve of the five parties, it is mistaken,'' Kim said. ``The North should immediately resume the disablement measures and cooperate in the establishment of a verification regime. We will closely monitor the move by the North and act accordingly.''