President Roh Visits Argentina

President Roh, who is officially visiting Argentina, stressed on November 14, “The competition between the political systems on the Korean Peninsula is over. Our concern from now on is to help North Korea accept reforms and market economy and be able to live.”

Roh said as above at a gathering of Korean residents in Argentina held at the Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel, where he is lodging, on that afternoon (local time), and added, “The South was behind the North up until the 1960s and 1970s, but the former outraced the latter and the gap (in economic terms) is 40 times and some even say 60 times.”

In addition, President Roh evaluated, “Pyongyang is trying to reform and open up, but the most difficult thing is to control the speed as society shakes when the wind of market economy enters. Although the North is making various aggressive voices and speaks with an air of importance and pretends to be strong, this is only a strategic and tactical struggle to go without its regime being shaken.”

Subsequently, Roh added, “North Korea itself knows very well that it is impossible to unify Korea through communization. Since neither the two Koreas nor the four surrounding powers want a conflict, the Korean Peninsula is not at all a dangerous troubled spot if well managed.”

Jung-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com