Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo was drawn into a controversy Monday over the inter-Korean sea border ahead of his talks with his North Korean counterpart in Pyongyang next month.
Kim is under pressure from war veterans and other conservatives here to use the rare inter-Korean defense ministerial talks -- agreed upon at the second-ever summit between the two Koreas earlier this month -- to make clear that the Northern Limit Line (NLL) is their effective maritime border.
The NLL was set by the U.S.-led United Nations troops at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, but North Korea has not recognized it. Pyongyang has demanded a new border line to replace the NLL.
President Roh Moo-hyun said last week that the NLL is not a territorial line but just an operational red line for the South's navy, drawing harsh criticism from conservative forces.
The defense minister officially reiterated that the creation of an envisioned joint fishing area and a broader peace zone around the NLL in the Yellow Sea will be allowed only when the NLL is retained.
But he has tried to keep a low-key approach towards the sensitive issue, apparently in an effort not to be seen as disobeying the president.
The country's two major conservative dailies, The Chosun Ilbo and The JoongAng Ilbo, reported Monday that Kim promised to protect the NLL at the cost of his job.
Citing unidentified ranking defense officials, the newspapers said, "Minister Kim said he would be responsible for any problem related to the protection of the NLL."
The Defense Ministry immediately sought to contain the political impact.
"Minister Kim was misquoted," ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-gi said. "In a recent meeting with chiefs of staff of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, the minister instructed the military not to be swayed by the NLL dispute and instead focus on maintaining war readiness."
The defense chief said he would deal with the matter through discussion with aides and concerned parties, according to the spokesman.
Amid a growing controversy following the president's comments on the NLL, the minister, formerly an Army general, appears to be in a dilemma over how to approach the issue at the defense ministerial talks.
The NLL has been a deal-breaker for many inter-Korean military talks aimed at easing tensions on the peninsula. Furthermore, some analysts construe Roh's remarks as a guideline for the defense minister's stance on the NLL issue in the forthcoming talks in Pyongyang.
The date for the defense ministerial meeting has yet to be fixed, as the leaders of the two Koreas have only agreed to hold it sometime next month in the North Korean capital.
Meanwhile, the country's largest veterans group said it will issue a public statement on Wednesday to denounce the president's remarks on the NLL.
More than 700 retired soldiers, including several former defense ministers, will gather at the office of the Korea Veterans Association in eastern Seoul to protest against Roh, according to the group's press release.
(Yonhap)