By Na Jeong-ju
President Lee Myung-bak is coming under growing pressure to reshuffle his security team following North Korea’s revelation on Wednesday that South Korean negotiators attempted to bribe their North Korean dialogue partners for a series of inter-Korean summits.
According to the statement, the South Korean team included Lee’s top security advisor Kim Tae-hyo, unification ministry policy chief Kim Chun-sik and Hong Chang-hwa, who is in charge of North Korean affairs at the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Given the nature of inter-Korean contacts, it appears that only a few people inside Cheong Wa Dae and the administration would have shared information about the secret gatherings. They may include Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, NIS chief Won Sei-hoon and presidential chief of staff Yim Tae-hee.
Hyun and Kim Tae-hyo are among the key architects of Lee’s hard-line policy toward Pyongyang.
They reportedly proposed a contingency plan to prepare for a sudden collapse of the Kim Jong-il regime and the creation of a post-reunification strategy.
Introducing a “unification tax” to cope with the heavy financial burden of absorbing North Korea is known as one of their ideas aimed at ensuring a smooth transition to enter the era of one Korea.
Lee’s aides ruled out the possibility of an imminent shakeup of the security advisors, saying North Korea is trying to create rifts within South Korean society again.
“There will be a change based on our needs, not the North’s needs,” an aide said on condition of anonymity.
“The North should know that such an act of diplomatic rudeness will have serious consequences in its international relations. Which country will talk frankly to North Korea?”
However, many observers here insist Lee should seriously consider replacing his security team and reshape North Korea policy to spark a turnaround in the stalled inter-Korean ties. Even some ruling party lawmakers have called for “strategic flexibility” in dealing with the belligerent country to help it become a responsible member of the international community.
North Korea alleged that Seoul, during the secret inter-Korean meetings, proposed holding Cabinet-level talks in late May to lay the groundwork for new rounds of summit talks.
However, the gatherings ended without an agreement because the South repeated its demand that the North apologize for its two deadly attacks on the South last year, claimed the North, vowing not to talk with the Lee administration anymore.
“The hooligan-like South Korean negotiators begged for a concession from us, saying it would be acceptable even if we express regret, not an apology. We told them to just go away,” it said. “They even offered an envelope of cash to persuade us.”
South Korean officials said the North’s statement is not worth a response and that the South will continue to improve relations with North Korea.
One of the questions President Lee is now facing is _ should he remain tough on the communist country?
Policymakers here share mixed feelings about North Korea. Some support Lee’s hard-line policy, while others say Lee needs to soften his stance to resolve pending security issues, including North Korea’s nuclear development.
What’s certain is that Lee will have to make a strategic decision at some point to turn the situation around, observers say.
“As long as Pyongyang continues to threaten provocative acts and behave in irresponsibly, it remains difficult for Lee to change his North Korea policy,” said a diplomatic source.
“However, if the situation keeps worsening, he will need different people with different views. That’s a dilemma for him.”