Park’s Criticism of Inter-Korean Agreement Draws Backlash
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Park Hee-tae, chairman of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), claimed Tuesday that the inter-Korean agreement signed between former President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was ``too rosy and exaggerated'' to implement.
``It will take at least tens of trillions of won to implement the commitments in the Oct. 4 agreement signed in 2007,'' Park said on a radio program.
Park made the remark amid mounting tension in inter-Korean relations, following North Korea's announcement that it would suspend inter-Korean train services and impose a travel ban on the Gaeseong Industrial Complex from Dec. 1.
Choi Jae-sung, spokesman of the largest opposition Democratic Party (DP), called the remarks ``very inappropriate,'' given the current situation.
``The GNP leader's comments could aggravate the North, which has already begun playing hardball,'' Choi told reporters.
DP leader Chung Sye-kyun met with minor Democratic Labor Party (DLP) leader Kang Ki-kab to discuss ways of overcoming the impasse in South-North relations.
Chung insisted that President Lee Myung-bak shift his North Korea policy, indicating Lee's conservative stance was the root cause of the rising tension between the two Koreas.
The DP leader reiterated that Lee should make clear his willingness to support the inter-Korean agreements signed between the North Korean leader and former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh in 2000 and 2007, respectively.
At the meeting, Kang put forth a series of proposals to resolve the current mounting tension.
He said the opposition party leaders should set up a meeting to deal with the standoff, create a special inter-Korean relations task force, and make joint efforts to frustrate a human rights bill on North Korea submitted by a group of GNP lawmakers.
Chung said he would hold in-depth discussions with his party lawmakers first and then let the DLP know the results.
Floor leader Won Hye-young of the DP warned that if the Gaeseong Industrial Complex is closed, South Korean firms operating there will experience an estimated 500 billion won in losses, enough to drive them into bankruptcy.
GNP leader Park, however, showed few signs of changing his party's stance on the North amid mounting criticism from opposition parties.
``North Korea should give up its nuclear ambitions and open its economy first. If it's done, the South will provide it with economic assistance packages so as to help it achieve a per capita income of $3,000,'' he said.
``There is no change in our stance on North Korea,'' he added.
Park also made it clear that South Korea's assistance to the North should be limited to humanitarian purposes, as long as Pyongyang fails to come up with measures for denuclearization.
Inside the governing party, however, lawmakers such as floor leader Hong Joon-pyo have called on the GNP to seek a flexible response to South-North relations.
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said it was regrettable that South Korea's sincere efforts to move inter-Korean relations forward were not reciprocated by the North.
``As for the inter-Korean agreements made under the previous governments, we made it clear many times that we are willing to have dialogue with North Korea to discuss follow-up measures,'' Han said.