Lee opposes federation in The Korea Times article

Lee Hoi-Chang, president of the opposition Grand National Party, has asserted that the unification of Korea cannot be realized by forcibly stitching together two different political systems under the name of a confederation or federation.

In a special contribution to The Korea Times on the occasion of its 50th founding anniversary Nov. 1, the main opposition leader said in a speech on inter-Koran affairs and national reunification that reunification can be attained only when peace and cooperation on the peninsula are secured, and when the barriers dividing the South and the North are removed and citizens of both sides are able to visit each others freely.

The GNP leader also contended that any unconditional assistance to the North could deprive Pyongyang of incentives to introduce reforms and merely prolong its basket case status.

Acknowledging that there has been much positive development since the June 15 inter-Korean summit, Lee stated that this gives aspirations for peace and unification but also considerable confusion, on the other hand.