Posted August. 21, 2001 09:12,
It was reported that one of the civil organization of the South, Unification Solidarity for the fulfillment of 6.15 joint declaration and for Peace in the Korean Peninsula (Abbreviation - Unification Solidarity) who participated in the 8.15 joint event in Pyongyang issued a statement, saying ``a federal system unification cannot be treated as a heresy anymore.``
When we consider the fact that Mr. K, who created a stir on the 17th concerning the `visitor`s note at Man Kyung Dae`, belongs to the Unification Solidarity, we cannot but ask ,``does this organization belong to the South indeed, representing the opinion of the South? Or do they belong to the North?``
In response to this, the Unification Solidarity insisted, ``we think that the 6.15 joint declaration showed many common features between the North and the South. The unification suggestion of union by the South and that of federal system by the North are not totally different.``
But is it really the case? The people of the South all agree that the unification should have its prerequisite such as market economy and democracy.
The principle of the unification that we said in 6.15 joint declaration was not to embrace the federal system suggested by the North, but to have a serious talk with the North with open mind. Therefore, the opinion of the Unification Solidarity is very far from the public opinion of the south; moreover, it was too bold for the Unification Solidarity to talk about the federal unification system as a civil organization.
We emphasized that we should be alarmed by the romantic unification talks yesterday in this column. And the Unification Solidarity is showing an example of such a romantic unification talks.
The Unification Solidarity said in its statement, ``If we truly support and wish Korean People`s peace, solidarity, and unification, supporting 6.15 joint declaration, we should not make a trivial issue as a big issue.``
But what they did in the Pyongyang event cannot be treated as `trivial` faults, but it is related to the official discipline of our nation.
Therefore, it is rightful of government to have National Security Committee meeting and to decide to ask legal responsibility to the representatives of the South when they come back from North Korea, although it is a very late prescription.
If government does not ask serious legal responsibilities and punishments to the representatives of the South, considering the relationship with the North, it would damage the ground for the trilateral coordination.
Government also should not support financially the representatives of the South who created a stir, as it did in the case of the joint event of the North and the South of the past.
It is not right to spend tax for that kind of organization who puts the civil cultural exchange and national security in danger, aggravating domestic conflicts by praising the federal unification system.