By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak said Monday he would always keep the ``basics and principles'' in mind in dealing with North Korea, indicating that he will not change his policy, despite recent threats by the communist regime.
Lee said he is ready to talk with Pyongyang, but won't rush, adding that inter-Korean talks should be based on the principles of mutual respect and equality.
``It is important to have firm principles in talking with North Korea,'' Lee said in a weekly radio address. ``My administration is always ready to resume inter-Korean dialogue, but won't hurry to make a short-term achievement. Most of all, South and North Korea should respect each other and treat each other equally.''
It is the first time that Lee has made remarks on North Korea since the latter nullified all agreements with the South on Jan. 30, criticizing the Lee administration for spurring inter-Korean rivalry. Days later, intelligence officials from South Korea and the United States said the North may be preparing to test-fire a Taepodong-2 long-range missile.
``I won't make the same mistakes as my predecessors by rushing into inter-Korean talks without first addressing Pyongyang's faults,'' Lee said.
The conservative leader has pledged to take a tougher but more pragmatic line on North Korea than his liberal predecessors, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, who had often been criticized for ``giving too much but receiving very little.''
The radio speech came as South Korea and the United States step up preparations for talks on North Korea and other regional security issues.
Lee's senior secretary for diplomatic and security issues, Kim Sung-hwan, will visit Washington from Feb. 11 to 15 for talks with officials from the White House.
The following week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Seoul as part of her Asian tour and meet with President Lee on Feb. 20 at Cheong Wa Dae.
Commenting on the economic downturn, the President said he was not concerned about popularity. Instead, Lee said he would abide by rules and principles to help tide over the crisis.
``I'm often described by critics as being too pro-chaebol, or employer-friendly. Rather, I believe in the market economy. My one and only goal is to create jobs,'' Lee said.