By Lee Tae-hoon
Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan expressed hope Thursday that North Korea will accept President Lee Myung-bak’s recent proposal to “join the new wave of peace and common prosperity in Northeast Asia.”
In his March 1 Independence Movement Day address Tuesday, President Lee urged Pyongyang to establish lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, “through dialogue instead of nuclear weapons and missiles, and through responsible actions instead of armed provocations.”
In a luncheon with the foreign diplomatic corps in Korea, Kim reiterated President Lee’s message that “now is the opportune time for the North to open a new future for the Korean Peninsula.”
“Seoul is ready to engage in dialogue with Pyongyang at any time with an open mind,” he said.
The minister reaffirmed that Seoul will continue its "two-track approach" in dealing with the communist regime.
“While we maintain a firm defense readiness posture to deter further North Korean provocations, we continue to pursue sincere dialogue with North Korea to achieve genuine improvements in inter-Korean relations,” Kim said.
He stressed that, once the stalled six-party denuclearization talks resume, the South will pursue a comprehensive resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue based on the “Grand Bargain Initiative.”
The initiative is aimed at guaranteeing the North's security and economic assistance from the five other countries participating in the six-way talks in exchange for the communist state ending its nuclear ambitions.
Kim, however, showed his deep concern regarding the North’s uranium enrichment program that it disclosed to a U.S. expert last year.
“The revelation of a uranium enrichment facility last November has opened a new and disturbing chapter in the North Korean nuclear issue, further complicating our task of realizing complete and verifiable denuclearization,” he said.
Pyongyang claims that it is pursuing uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes, but, Kim said, this claim is “neither credible nor justifiable.”
“The North has a longstanding and flagrant track record of violating international non-proliferation obligations, including two nuclear tests,” he said.
The Minister pointed out that the North’s Uranium enrichment program is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
“It is imperative that in a unified voice we declare North Korea's uranium enrichment program to be a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and urge Pyongyang to cease all related activities,” Kim said.
He said failure to address this issue in a manner commensurate with its seriousness would send conflicting signals regarding a willingness to curb Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.