By Jun Ji-hye
In eight pages of excerpts from transcripts of the 2007 inter-Korean summit that the ruling Saenuri Party disclosed to the press Monday, the late former President Roh Moo-hyun said he was of the same opinion with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il that the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto border in the West Sea, should be changed.
“There are many opinions regarding the NLL issue, although most people do not know about the real details of the line. In people’s mind, the NLL issue is something they cannot even touch, although there's no basis for it under international law, and its logical basis is unclear,” Roh said.
The excerpts contain part of the dialogue between two leaders about key issues including the NLL and relations with neighboring countries.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) released the excerpts, along with the full 100-page minutes of the summit to lawmakers belonging to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee.
Members from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) refused to accept the documents.
According to the NIS, the liberal president said that despite its lack of grounding, the NLL has strong power in reality as it is a matter of pride for the North as well for some people in the South who insist it delineates South Korean territory.
“I want to suggest that we both agree on setting up a peace zone in the West Sea and making a joint fishing area there. I also want to jointly develop the Han River estuary area as well as to establish a joint economic zone from Haeju, in South Hwanghae Province of the North, to Incheon in the South,” Roh said.
Kim asked Roh: “How do you expect people in the South to react to the proposed peace zone? I guess there will be objectors.”
In response, Roh said there would be nobody opposed to building such a zone; adding that if anybody did, Internet netizens would make fools of them.
Referring to the June 15 joint declaration that the late President Kim Dae-jung announced with the North’s leader, Roh said, “I feel a greater responsibility. What I want is to do something at the earliest possible date. But things need to be settled for certain so that the next president cannot reverse it.”
The ruling party claims this shows Roh made concessions regarding the NLL by agreeing with the North’s argument that the borderline was invalid. The DP on the other hand argues that it is using an old issue to water down controversy surrounding the NIS’s alleged meddling in the Dec 19 presidential election.
The NLL was drawn by the United Nations Command when the Korean War (1950-53) ended.
Roh also conveyed his negative views on the United States, saying “The most serious problem is the U.S. that has shown hegemonism.”
“According to opinion polls in the South, a considerable number of people say they hate Washington. A majority selected the U.S. as the country that can disrupt peace in Northeast Asia, followed by Japan and the North,” Roh said.
He also expressed his view about the U.S. forces in Korea, saying “It is a shame that a foreign army base is in the capital city of Korea.”
Roh said that Seoul definitely had to take wartime operational control of its military from Washington.
As for matters related to Japan, Roh mentioned the incident of the North kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and ‘80s.
“When the Japanese Ambassador visited me, he said he cannot trust Pyongyang, claiming that there could be more Japanese citizens remaining in the North. But I could not understand his argument.”
Watchers say, however, as the excerpts are just part of the transcripts, they have limitations in portraying the full context of the summit. This increases the likelihood of the further conflict between the rival parties regarding the interpretation and veracity of the dialogue.
The ruling party has yet to disclose the full texts.