[Editorial] Special Envoy Lim, Should Speak What He Has to Speak to the North

We, who heard about Lim Dong- Won`s visit to the North next week, who is South Korean President Kim Dae-jung`s special adviser on security and unification affairs as the level of special envoy, have expectations and concerns simultaneously.

If special envoy Lim`s visit to the North can find out clue for improvement in the relationship between the North and South, between the North-U.S, which was fully blocked, it will be a significant success.

This is significant at the level of managing peace in Korean peninsula and to confront international stream, which is rapidly moving, amid rising of `the opinion of national security crisis in Korean peninsula 2003 year`

However, if special envoy Lim shows the propensity of getting dragged by the North side like before, it can be worse than not visiting.

Sunshine policy of current government comprises of the plan to `make the matters of Korean Peninsula into that of Korean peninsula only`, saying repeatedly, it means to overcome all surrounding obstacles through promoting relationship between the North and the South.

And the South-North summit in June, 2000 was the biggest achievement of it.

However, such strategy was a difficult one from the beginning in international relationships and it is true that it has lost its power suddenly since the U.S. administration change, last year.

The problem is, as it is revealed through this announcement of special envoy, that government still maintains primary perception regarding North till now, whereas surrounding conditions has completely changed.

It is a clear fact that we can`t achieve success by the same strategy on the North.

Therefore, if government contacts the North with the same theory as before, there is a big possibility that government gets used by the North only and ends up.

Special envoy Lim should show an attitude this time to speak out what he has to speak to the North side.

The side that needs the North-South dialogue urgently is the North, which needs spring fertilizer and cooperation from the South in Arirang festival, not the South.

We should give what we have to give to the North and suggest our demands compatible to it.

To call on changes of the North, including current situation which raises tensions in Korean Peninsula, like WMDC (Weapons of Mass Destruction) and nuclear inspection, should be the essential contents for us to ask from North.