Worrisome perception of N.Korea

In announcing his presidential vision on inter-Korean relations on the 5th anniversary of a 2007 declaration on ties between the Koreas, main opposition Democratic United Party candidate Moon Jae-in said Thursday, “I will use the point of suspension (in inter-Korean ties) under the Participatory (Roh Moo-hyun) Government as the starting point, but will move forward by upgrading ties by one notch.” What he announced is almost the same as the Roh administration’s North Korea policy and the content in the declaration vis-a-vis basic framework. What is questionable is how he will secure the North’s abandonment of its nuclear program, prevent Pyongyang from committing aggression, and normalize inter-Korean relations by inheriting the "sunshine policy” of engaging the North from the liberal Kim Dae-jung and Roh governments.

Moon’s perception of the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border in the Yellow Sea, is also a matter for concern. On the installation of a "Special District of Peace and Cooperation in the Yellow Sea," a key element of the 2007 Declaration, he said, “I thought the (South Korean) defense minister was hard-headed when taking on the inter-Korean talks between defense chiefs.” Moon thus effectively claimed that the installation did not happen because the South Korean defense minister did not make concessions to the North at the defense meeting in November 2007. The talks also took place soon after the inter-Korean summit between President Roh and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

Then South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo said, however, “The South Korean side intended to designate the joint fishing area within the same distance and same area in the south and north from the Northern Limit Line as the center. But the North demanded the designation of the joint fishing area within South and North Korean waters south of the Northern Limit Line. Thus, it was impossible to reach an agreement.” The North has constantly denied the legitimacy of the sea border, which has remained the inter-Korean maritime border since the end of the Korean War, and has repeatedly attempted to nullity it. Pyongyang on Saturday said, “The designation of the joint fishing area and Waters of Peace in the Yellow Sea, which was specified in the 2007 declaration, was based on the illegality and lawlessness of the Northern Limit Line itself.”

In 2007, Moon was in a position to figure out all situations as the presidential chief of staff for Roh. As such, Moon’s reckless mentioning of the defense minister’s "hard-headedness” could be interpreted as his belief that Minster Kim should have given up the Northern Limit Line and accepted the North’s demand. Moon attached the precondition "that the Northern Limit Line remains intact” to his comments, but should clarify about how he will respond if the North continues to deny the sea border.

Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo’s view on national defense is also worrisome to an extent. He told The Dong-A Ilbo, “The incumbent South Korean government avoided dialogue by placing prerequisite conditions, but nothing has been resolved. Only when the two Koreas resume dialogue can everything be discussed. The conditions and timing for future inter-Korean talks should also be discussed through dialogue.” The North has continued to be hard-headed toward South Korea for its killing of a South Korean tourist on Mount Kumgang in the North, its sinking of the South Korean naval corvette Cheonan, and its artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, let alone apologizing. Seoul proposing to resume dialogue with Pyongyang as if nothing happened can hardly be the right path toward peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.