[Editorial] Where Is North Korean Policies?

The delegation that participates in the 8.15 South-North Joint Ceremony brought about disputes on the visitors book notes. A delegate left his note on the visitors book in Mankyongdae, which is the birth place of Kim Il-Sung, reading ``Following the Mankyongdae spirit, Let`s accomplish re-unification.`` Considering that the `Mankyongdae spirit` only refers to the unification with communism, it is very questionable what was their metal condition.

It is noteworthy that the incident had occurred right after the participation of the some delegates to the event at the three charters for the national re-unification memorial tower. It is doubtful whether those delegates are qualified as `unification delegates` in any sense.

Mr. K who brought about the disputes said that he would explain after returning to Seoul. However, despite his explanations, he will never be free from the criticisms that his unacceptable utterance had deterred the improvement of the Inter-Korean relationship. A lament of a delegate that the delegation is trampling on the buds of unification rather than nurturing them.

Looking at this incident, the North Korean policy of the government must be questioned again. What are the criteria to allow the celebrities and the NGOs that are lost in `the romanticist unification theories?` Should the South continue on the Inter-Korean dialogue with such serial problems? How would we resolve the conflicts within the South accelerated by them? The government must address these questions.

The civic organizations for re-unification also have to be self-controlled. Recently, the civilian visitors to the North have rapidly increased and, for the 8.15 Joint Celebration this year, delegates from about 200 NGOs rushed to Pyongyang. The NGOs have to ask themselves how their visits to the North contributed to the unification of the nation or whether their visits bring about adverse side effects.

The North also must give up utilizing the South NGOs as its propagandas for the unification strategy. As shown by the stir, if the North tries only to use the South NGOs, the improvement of the Inter-Korean relationship would be a story far in the future.