MOD Maintains `Main Enemy` Phrase

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) decided to continue to use the main enemy phrase expression against North Korea in the Defense White Paper 2002, which will be published in the end of this month.

A related person of MOD remarked on May 8, `MOD`s way of thinking is that the main enemy phrase can be changed only when specific progresses, such as an establishment of military credibility between North Korea and South, are made,` and added, `As of now, since no progress is made, the main enemy phrase of the Defense White Paper will not be deleted nor replaced with an alternate expression as far as I know.`

Accordingly, the government`s plan to discuss ways to replace or delete the main enemy phrase in the Defense White Paper through a standing committee of the National Security Council (NSC) has in fact scraped.

The decision has been allegedly influenced by the indefinite delay of the second meeting of the Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Promotion Committee by the unilateral rejection of North Korea. The meeting had been scheduled to convene beginning from May 7.

The related person said, `The printing of the Defense White Paper will start not later than May 15, and 8,000 copies will be published at the end of this month, and 4,000 copies of English edition will be published in August or September this year,` and added, `Currently, manuscripts of the paper are almost completed.`

Dong-Ki Sung esprit@donga.com