Money Politics at 2nd Summit

Dear editor,

Upon hearing the news of the impending summit between the leaders of North and South Korea originally slated for later this month-but postponed until early October (most likely due to money: with North Korea it's always about money) _ my initial reaction was that President Roh has no principle or shame in an attempt to salvage something out of his pitiful presidency. My next was to wonder how much South Korea will have to pay the North with the first summit in 2000 between Kim Dae-jung and KIm Jong-il costing $500 million, the second was unlikely going to be cheaper than the first.

While the first summit in 2000 was at least a momentous occasion as it did produce the first ever meeting of the leaders of both Koreas and so was supported by the majority of South Koreans _ who at that stage were unaware of the massive bribe needed to ensure such a meeting-it probably would have happened even if Lee Hoi-chang had been President just as Kim Young-sam was slated to meet Kim Il-sung in 1994.

We can now see the first summit's real intention as far as North Korea was concerned was to squeeze as much money from a well-intentioned but gullible South Korean government while giving the impression of change and reform. With perhaps the exception of family reunions I'm convinced that any of the so-called benefits of the first summit are nothing but a ruse by the cunning North Korean leadership to lower the South Korean guard while of course at the same time accepting bucket loads of cash.

Since the initial news some of the costs to South Korea has transpired. On top of the $7 billion already given on President Roh's watch a $20 billion aid program has been promised, giving up South Korean territorial water and the cancellation of some joint US/South Korean military exercises. Well President Roh, the South Korean public can see this su mmit for what it is: you giving away the farm and more propping up the murderous Kim Jong-il so you can claim some kind of legacy. (And stop calling it a Marshall Plan you fool. The Marshall Plan was devised AFTER Nazi Germany was defeated not an economic lifeline to keep it in power!)

With that amount of South Korean taxpayers being given away there will need to be at least an appearance of something positive for South Korea being accomplished out of the summit. My prediction is that a meaningless peace treaty will be signed, meaningless as it can be ignored if wanted. No need to predict as I know for a certainty what Roh won't ask: an improvement in the abysmal human rights of North Koreans and the closing of North Korean concentration camps, the return of kidnapped South Koreans still living in the North, the introduction of real democracy, free elections, free movement for travel, a free press, right of assembly etc. Our human rights defending, democracy advocate isn't going to let such frivolous trivialities rain on his parade. This is all about him remember?

Brendan Brown

Itaewon 2-dong, Seoul