[Opinion] Is This the Time to Give `Kumkang Aid`?

The Kim Dae-Jung administration`s will to continue the Mt. Kumkang tour business at all costs is not changing. North Korea`s evasive dealings in South-North relations has not changed either. At this point in time, the proposal to activate the Kumkang tour business by giving aid for tour security, operation security, and the current duty-free shop is dividing public opinion. Although people are sympathetic to the view that a only policy of tolerance can lead to reconciliation and cooperation, the methods and means for achieving this has not received much support.

First, the Kim administration urged that this project be pursued continuously, considering its symbolic importance after instituting the Sunshine policy and the significance of calling the project `peace business`. Yet this stance completely turned over the initial stance on keeping politics and business separate and is raisings questions about the consistency with other North Korea-related businesses. Up until now, the administration has provided support indirectly through Hyundai Asan, but the recent measure is eliciting criticism that the government is using special civilian corporation support. The administration must understand that violating the principle of separation between politics and business at the end of its term may lead to the failure of the Sunshine policy.

Second, from the start of negotiations with North Korea, Hyundai Asan has disregarded profits and only promoted a clumsy tourism project, bringing about the financial crisis. Afterwards, the number of tourists decreased and the talks with the North about promoting tourism was dragged out, which brought them to the point of having to stop the project altogether. The company`s statement that it will prepare a plan to respond to North Korea`s numerous cost demands will be of no help to its current profit status. Even if 45 billion won from the South-North Korean Cooperation Fund were given, it would be like pouring water into a bottomless cup and will not help stimulate the tourism project. One must give heed to the voices that say that we must follow market principles.

Hence, we must begin negotiations with the North again from a long-term perspective. When we consider the North Korean military government`s opposition to special tourism areas and permit for ground tours, which North Korea promised, it is difficult to expect these promises to become reality. Last year, the expression of excessively hopeful views on improving South-North relations and North Korean leader Kim Jung-Il`s visit by President Kim was a disappointment for the public. If the administration is trying to sell this new plan to stimulate the tourism project as a means of restoring harmonious South-North exchanges, it will only make us feel like we are being deceived.

The only reason why the North agreed to ground tours from the end of April to June is because the Arirang Festival will take place simultaneously with the World Cups in South Korea. This is a scheme to magnify their advertisements and making foreign money. They are trying to recruit 10,000 people from both South Korea and China for the Arirang Festival, and the fate of ground tours after the festival ends in June is uncertain. North Korea is inviting former U.S. ambassador to Korea and experts on the Korean peninsula to come right around the time of U.S. President George W. Bush`s visit and before the sixtieth birthday of Kim Jung-Il. Voices of concern about us getting swept up in some trap are getting louder.

The present administration should quietly wrap up its North Korean policy and leave the rest to the next administration. If the conditions are not ripe, a respite may be an appropriate policy. We also need to change the view that a respite means that the Sunshine policy has failed. Whatever party becomes the next administration and whatever differences in approach, Chairman Kim Jung-Il will not give up on South-North relations if we maintain the basis of a policy of toleration.

Whether Hyundai Asan may have some backroom deal with North Korea or not, the right thing to do is to get an official agreement from North Korea on designating special tour areas and then use the South-North Korean Cooperation Fund after getting the National Assembly`s approval. The opposition party`s acknowledgement of the North Korea business and promotion of national inspection predict a hearing on the North Korea development project when the next administration comes into power. If the current administration fears abuse and reproach should the hearing take place, they need to understand what a dangerous thing it is to unilaterally announce and promote aid packages without the agreement and sympathy of the whole nation.

This aid plan must not be an emergency measure but a fundamental one, and the administration will have to accomplish this by consulting public opinion and collaboration. An effort that preserves both the symbolism of the Kumkang tour project and interest in profit is critical. We must patiently persuade the North to see that this is necessary for stimulating the North Korean economy as well. If we ignore economic principles and mistake `pouring money into the North` as `drawing up peace` we will repeat all the mistakes we have made in our policy. We have to fix the button which we sowed in the wrong place, even if it seems too late.

Ahn In-Hae (Korea University Graduate School of International Studies, International Political Science)