Roh Urged to Make Public Agenda for Summit
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Presidential nominee Lee Myung-bak of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) has urged President Roh Moo-hyun to disclose what agenda items he will bring for an inter-Korean summit slated for Oct. 2-4 in Pyongyang.
He said in an interview published Friday that the President should make public the issues he will discuss with the North Korea leader during the summit.
Lee, former mayor of Seoul, expressed discontent concerning Roh's silence over the summit agenda, saying that no one knows exactly what issues the two leaders are going to cover.
``If Roh goes for matters such as a joint declaration for peace first and pays little attention to the nuclear issue, the next government will carry a heavy burden as a result,'' Lee said.
He said Korea still has a long way to go to achieve reunification.
Lee, 65, told a television program Thursday that the sunshine policy of engaging the North has failed to change the Stalinist state as Pyongyang did not give up its nuclear ambitions.
``The rationale of the engagement policy is that if the South offers economic incentives to the North, it will gradually dismantle its nuclear programs. But the opposite situation has come as a consequence of the policy,'' Lee said.
He made a case for his vision for North Korea, saying that it is a feasible plan that will bring change in the North.
``If North Korea achieves a per capita income of $3,000, residents can afford to own their own washing machine,'' the nominee said.
``Once they are aware of the benefits of capitalism, they will want to own things like cars and their desire for a better life will grow. The underlying desire will ultimately lead them to call for democracy,'' he said.
Earlier this week, Lee suggested a tripartite cooperation project among two Koreas and Russia to exploit Siberian energy, which was designed to help the North Korean economy grow.
Under the proposed plan, South Korea will provide money and technology, while North Korea will use its labor force for the use of gas in Siberia, Russia.
Lee made it clear that North Korea will receive massive economic aid if it faithfully fulfills its commitment to disable the nuclear programs this year.
He said that achieving reunification is unfeasible in the near future and Seoul should help Pyongyang become a self-sufficient economy first.
``If the North can apply self-help, the burden the South takes in the reunification process will be considerably reduced,'' he said.