[Opinion] Kingmaker

When the film “King and the Crown” became a box office hit, people used to describe President Roh and then-Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan as the “King and the Crown.” Lee, who was a powerful prime minister, enjoyed the full confidence of the president while bravely acting as his protector.

When Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook tendered her resignation, President Roh even said, “Is there anyone like Lee Hae-chan?” Lee is still assisting Roh as his special political adviser.

Beginning today, Lee will visit Pyongyang for four days. The Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation in North Korea invited Lee as the chairman of the Council for Peace in Northeast Asia to discuss ways to establish peace in Northeast Asia, according to an official statement of the Uri Party. Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Unification also give the same explanation. However, many people have doubts over the explanation. Some analysts even say that the real intention of the visit is actually to promote the inter-Korean summit talks, considering its timing and the relationship between Lee and the president.

Meanwhile, some speculate that Lee’s visit is actually aimed at arranging former President Kim Dae-jung’s visit to Pyongyang, which has been postponed since last June. Lee is one of a handful of officials who have been bridging between President Roh and former President Kim. Lee was able to become a lawmaker thanks to Kim’s support and served as the first education minister of the Kim administration. Lee is also very close to the Donggyo-dong group, a.k.a. the royalists of Kim. For instance, Lee was recently seen playing golf with Kwon Roh-kap, a close aide to Kim who was exonerated last month. Lee is close enough to do the dirty work for Kim who wants to visit Pyongyang to protect his “Sunshine Policy.” Of course, that will, however, require consent from President Roh.

If you consider these circumstances, a prediction by the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) sounds very plausible. “There is a possibility of holding an inter-Korean summit near August 15 Liberation Day and exchanging special envoys before or after the celebration marking the seventh anniversary of the inter-Korean summit, slated for June in Pyongyang,” an official of the KINU said. Some experts also say that Lee’s visit is a politically motivated conspiracy ahead of the upcoming presidential elections by politicians disguising as pacifists who try to take the advantage of thawing bilateral relations. Lee was a strategist who helped Kim and Roh win the presidential elections. Now, the people are paying attention to his moves on whether Lee will roll up his sleeves once again in the presidential race.

Lee Jin-nyong, Editorial Writer, jinnyong@donga.com