By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye said Monday that dialogue between South and North Korea could improve strained inter-Korean relations, along with the lifting of economic sanctions known as the "May 24 measures."
"We need to take advantage of the upcoming inter-Korean high-level talks as an opportunity to better our ties with the North," Park said during a meeting of the Unification Preparation Committee at Cheong Wa Dae. The two sides are scheduled to hold such talks in late October or early November.
"The two Koreas also need to meet to have responsible and sincere talks about (a lifting of) the May 24 measures."
This was the first time that Park has indicated she could lift the sanctions, a punitive action imposed by the Lee Myung-bak administration in retaliation for the North's torpedoing of the South's naval ship, Cheonan, in 2010.
The sanctions ban inter-Korean economic exchanges and cooperation and the reclusive state has urged the South to lift them, describing them as a major stumbling block to the improvement of inter-Korean relations.
Park's remarks stress that inter-Korean dialogue carries extra significance amid re-emerging tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
South and North Korean naval boats traded fire on Tuesday after the latter violated the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border between the two sides. On Friday, they again exchanged fire at the border town of Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province after the North shot down balloons carrying leaflets criticizing the military regime's "supreme leaderKim" Jong-un by North Korean defector-turned activists.
"As it says, dialogue matters at war, inter-Korean conversation should continue to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula," Park said.
However, she warned against rosy expectations for inter-Korean ties on the back of a recent short-lived sign of reconciliation on the peninsula — three senior ranking officials from the North visited Incheon earlier this month.
"Inter-Korean relations have had their ups and downs, so it is risky to impetuously anticipate the improved ties with the North," she said.
"Although we always leave the door open for dialogue, the government should strictly cope with the North's provocations."
North Korean watchers say that the Park government has shown signs of change in its North Korea policy.
"Given that the government stuck with a stance requesting an official apology for the attack on the Cheonan, Park's remarks are meaningful because it could signal a significant thaw in the icy ties," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute.
Park's emphasis on inter-Korean dialogue to be held on a regular basis, in order to ascertain whether members of separated families are dead or alive and her decision to talk with the North's government are among examples indicative of her policy change, Cheong added.
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| President Park Geun-hye attends a second meeting of the Unification Preparation Committee with Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap |
"We need to take advantage of the upcoming inter-Korean high-level talks as an opportunity to better our ties with the North," Park said during a meeting of the Unification Preparation Committee at Cheong Wa Dae. The two sides are scheduled to hold such talks in late October or early November.
"The two Koreas also need to meet to have responsible and sincere talks about (a lifting of) the May 24 measures."
This was the first time that Park has indicated she could lift the sanctions, a punitive action imposed by the Lee Myung-bak administration in retaliation for the North's torpedoing of the South's naval ship, Cheonan, in 2010.
The sanctions ban inter-Korean economic exchanges and cooperation and the reclusive state has urged the South to lift them, describing them as a major stumbling block to the improvement of inter-Korean relations.
Park's remarks stress that inter-Korean dialogue carries extra significance amid re-emerging tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
South and North Korean naval boats traded fire on Tuesday after the latter violated the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border between the two sides. On Friday, they again exchanged fire at the border town of Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province after the North shot down balloons carrying leaflets criticizing the military regime's "supreme leaderKim" Jong-un by North Korean defector-turned activists.
"As it says, dialogue matters at war, inter-Korean conversation should continue to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula," Park said.
However, she warned against rosy expectations for inter-Korean ties on the back of a recent short-lived sign of reconciliation on the peninsula — three senior ranking officials from the North visited Incheon earlier this month.
"Inter-Korean relations have had their ups and downs, so it is risky to impetuously anticipate the improved ties with the North," she said.
"Although we always leave the door open for dialogue, the government should strictly cope with the North's provocations."
North Korean watchers say that the Park government has shown signs of change in its North Korea policy.
"Given that the government stuck with a stance requesting an official apology for the attack on the Cheonan, Park's remarks are meaningful because it could signal a significant thaw in the icy ties," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute.
Park's emphasis on inter-Korean dialogue to be held on a regular basis, in order to ascertain whether members of separated families are dead or alive and her decision to talk with the North's government are among examples indicative of her policy change, Cheong added.
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