By Jun Ji-hye
A U.S. congressional report Thursday raised the possibility of a clash between Seoul and Washington over the former’s plan to expand and internationalize the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC) in North Korea.
The report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said that President Park Geun-hye’s plan to expand the complex may conflict with U.S. legislative efforts to expand sanctions against the North.
It said such an expansion could result from recently improved inter-Korean relations, as evidenced by the current reunions taking place of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
“Since Park’s inauguration, the two allies have continued close cooperation on North Korea policy… Both Seoul and Washington have emphasized deterrence in the face of a series of actions by North Korea, including Pyongyang’s February 2013 nuclear test ,” said the CRS in its report posted on its website.
“An issue for the Obama administration and Congress is to what extent they will support ― or, not oppose ― Park’s possible inter-Korean initiatives.”
It cited, for instance, Park has indicated a desire to someday internationalize and expand the GIC, “which several members of Congress have opposed.”
According to the report, those moves could clash with legislative efforts in Congress to expand U.S. sanctions against the Stalinist state, such as H.R. 1771, the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act.
“Thus far, Administration officials have expressed support for Park’s trustpolitik approach,” it said.
Park’s trustpolitik or “trust-building” plan calls for a dual approach toward the reclusive state by deterring Pyongyang’s military provocations while at the same time seeking cooperation when the communist country changes track, including nuclear disarmament.
While reporting to President Park earlier this month, the Ministry of Unification said it will push for the internationalization of the South-North joint complex. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation also seeks to build a railroad system connecting all of Eurasia to North and South Korea.
However, experts here said Seoul’s approach toward the North is not significantly different from Washington’s.
“The North Korean policy of President Park also stated a pre-condition of denuclearization, like that of Washington,” said Koh Yoo-hwan, a North Korea expert at Dongguk University.
The professor said that internationalizing the complex is impossible as long as the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions against the North remain.
“New investment from foreign countries will be unlikely under those sanctions,” Koh said. “Some domestic changes are also necessary for such tasks, including the lifting of the so-called May 24 measures, which will take considerable time.”
The measures, imposed after the North torpedoed the South Korean frigate Cheonan in March 2010, refer to the package of strict embargos on inter-Korean economic and personnel exchanges.