[Editorial] Kim Dae Jung Administration Lied to Citizens to Give Aids to North

Disappointed and disappointed. That is the only word we could think of. How long should we get angry at the hiding and lying of Kim Dae Jung administration? The Kim administration said that it only got to know of North Korea`s nuclear weapons program last week though US Assistant Secretary James Kelly, to whom North Korea made the shocking admission of its nuclear program during his visit to Pyongyang. But the truth came out just in one day. Foreign Minister and Defense Minister confessed that the Kim administration had known of the existence of North`s nuclear program ever since August of this year. Again yesterday, The Dong A proved that, already in 1999, this administration had obtained intelligence indicating North Korea was enriching uranium. It`s a series of lies, the end of which we could not even guess.

To sum it up, North Korea has developed its nuclear weapons for the last three years, and Kim Dae Jung administration has knowingly closed its eyes to it during that time. It seems to get clear why Kim Dae Jung administration is maintaining a lukewarm attitude, simply pointing to the possibility of talks, even when North Korea itself admitted to its nuclear program. It seems also comprehensible why the Kim administration has been willing to forgive all the violations and armed provocation of North, and why it has ignored the warning that its aids to North may have been used not for North Korean citizens, but for the regime itself.

Kim Dae Jung administration should disclose who covered up all of these and why. It should tell us who made such decisions: Was it President Kim himself who conceived up the Sunshine policy, or his henchmen who were eager to realize what their boss wants? Without telling the truth and holding those in charge accountable, it is uncertain what would come next. We would like to ask this administration, which has been limping from the lame duck to stop all its aids to North. We are not demanding that it should disclose each and every classified information. We are just demanding why the administration has concealed the existence of North`s nuclear weapons program and why it failed to take countermeasures. North Korea`s high-ranking official, Kim Young-nam said on Oct. 21st, "If the United States is ready to repeal its hostile policies toward us, we will get ready to dispose of all the concerns through dialogue." It simply means North will not treat South as one of the parties to this issue. But Kim Dae Jung administration has no one to blame: it itself has called for it.