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Staff Reporter
Progressive civic groups criticized President-elect Lee Myung-bak's nomination of Professor Nam Joo-hong as unification minister, calling him a ``neocon warmonger.''
They expressed concern that Nam's hard-line North Korea policy would mar relations with the North, which has warmed to an extent because of the engagement policy toward Pyongyang under the liberal governments of the past 10 years.
Nam is currently a professor of Kyonggi University's graduate school of politics and policies in Seoul.
Conservatives, however, hailed the nomination which they say reflects Lee's intention to take a ``pragmatic'' approach toward North Korean affairs.
Lee has pledged to take a tougher but more pragmatic line on North Korea than those of his predecessors ― Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun ― who have often been criticized for ``giving much but receiving very little.''
``Professor Nam is favorably positioned to serve as unification minister compared to other figures, in terms of his career and experience regarding North Korea,'' Lee's spokesman Joo Ho-young said.
Nam was one of Lee's chief policy advisors on foreign and North Korean affairs during the presidential campaign. He advised former President Kim Young-sam on security and unification affairs, worked as a senior official for the spy agency and the National Unification Advisory Council.
``North Korea polices are not swayed by the unification minister himself,'' said the spokesman. ``Nam is expected to implement policies toward the North within the framework of Lee's flagship North Korean policy, Vision 3000, in close consultation with related ministries.''
Vision 3000 is designed to provide economic assistance to the North over the next 10 years to help the regime open up more and boost its per capital national income to $3,000.
The policy has been regarded as much softer than policies that establishment conservatives want adopted. Lee, however, made it clear that aid will only be provided after North Korea gives up its nuclear ambitions.
Lee also pledged to review every inter-Korean accord struck during a summit between Roh and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il last October in Pyongyang.
Progressives, however, are taking the issue of Nam's past remarks in favor of a hardball North Korean policy.
In his book, titled ``There Is No Unification,'' published in 2006, Nam asserted the June 15 inter-Korean declaration issued at the end of the first-ever summit between former President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang would only support the North's tactics to topple the South.
He was also very critical of the ``sunshine'' policy of engaging the North initiated by Kim Dae-jung and the Roh administration's move to scrap the anti-communist National Security Law.
The professor has stressed the inter-Korean reunification should not be achieved at an ``early'' date, but in the ``right'' manner.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
