Hope remains for inter-Korean talks

Former Unification Minister Park Jae-kyu, now Kyungnam University president, speaks during a recent interview with The Korea Times at his office in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Ex-unification chief calls for dialogue

By Yi Whan-woo

Park Jae-kyu, a former unification minister, says he is prudent about his choice of words and how they are being translated into English when it comes to inter-Korean issues. He claims he still receives attention from relevant officials here and abroad even after stepping down as Seoul's point-man on Pyongyang in 1999.

Under such circumstance, Park, now the president of Kyungnam University, did not hesitate to say that “we should not be too disappointed” after vice-ministerial talks between the South and North Korea ended without any breakthroughs, Saturday.

The two sides failed to narrow their differences over the South’s suspended tour program to the Mount Geumgang resort in the North.

“Mutual compromise is possible if we make an effort. The two Koreas must work to return to the negotiation table, to seek a second round of talks soon, because it is important for both sides to do so,” he said in an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.

He added Seoul may be able to create “the dynamics for change,” pointing out that both President Park Geun-hye and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sought for bilateral talks in their respective New Year’s address.

He urged the Park administration to implement a “two-track strategy” of facilitating dialogue with the Kim regime while seeking to settle North Korea’s military threats, including its nuclear and ballistic missile program.

According to him, next year will be the last chance for Seoul to promote a summit with Pyongyang as President Park will enter the fourth year of her five-year presidency.

“Both Koreas are in the middle of transformation, so to speak. President Park has passed the halfway point in her presidency, while First Chairman Kim is expected to introduce his own internal and external policies at the Seventh Congress of the Korean Workers’ Party next spring,” the Kyungnam University president said.

“In this light North Korea is likely to promote a bilateral summit with South Korea and one with China, casting these events as a sign of the regime’s stability and using them as opportunities to introduce a new wave of changes in its system.”

In relation to Kim Jong-un’s reign of terror since he seized power in December 2011, Park speculated there will not be any more large-scale purges and the untested leader will instead focus on stabilizing the authoritarian regime.

“Purges were inevitable. But according to my understanding, Kim Jong-un has now stabilized his regime, so it is likely that he will begin to unroll policies aimed at strengthening internal solidarity,” Park said.

He was skeptical that Pyongyang may carry out its fourth nuclear test after conducting three tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, saying such provocation would hamper soft landing of the Kim regime.