[Editorial] Roh Should Try to Resolve Nuclear Issue First

In his address to commemorate Korea’s 62nd National Liberation Day, the president said, regarding the upcoming South-North summit scheduled from August 28 to 30, “I will not try to accomplish something just for the sake of accomplishment. Instead, I will do all I can to fulfill my historic obligation.” It is a right thing to say. The summit should not be something that undermines national security, peace, and livelihood of the public.

What should be dealt with without fail is the North Korean nuclear issue, the biggest cause of worry for South Koreans. And the president has a responsibility to bring up the issue at the summit. That’s his job. However, the president’s summit strategy mentioned in his address flies in the face of what the public wants.

According to his address, he seems to be looking to get around the nuclear issue and talk mainly about economic exchanges. Moreover, he said, “I hope you will not burden me by saying, don’t do this or don’t do that or ‘get this without fail.’ I earnestly hope that the nation will gather its creative, collective wisdom within a larger framework for a brighter future.”

President Roh’s problem is that he considers what people hope for as a burden.

Korea is the only country in the world that has been divided for over a half century. At the center of inter-Korean tension is the nuclear issue. Any talks that do not have the nuclear issue at their center will have people wondering about their purpose. Six-party talks are going on, but the finial decision of scrapping the North’s nuclear program will be made by Kim Jong Il. His answer is the surest and quickest solution to the nuclear problem. If President Roh does not mention the nuclear issue, his visit to Pyongyang will constitute recognition of North Korea as a nuclear power.

The president said in his address, “The nuclear issue is on its way to be resolved,” but that is not true. The only thing the North has done so far has been to close down the Youngbyon nuclear facilities, a very basic step to final dismantlement. Implementation of the South-North Korea Basic Agreement and the 1992 joint declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula that President Roh mentioned in his address can only be possible when Pyongyang renounces its nukes first.

Nobody can deny the need for South-North economic cooperation, but it is not that simple. The Gaesong Industrial Complex is still in its pilot stage. South Korean companies that invested in the complex are having a difficult time. In a recent corporate leaders’ meeting organized by the Uri Party, business leaders complained about a host of problems, including North Korea’s poor infrastructure, the high cost for establishing factories, and growing inventories. To them, ‘productive investment cooperation’ or ‘two-way cooperation’ is only a dream, which makes many regard inter-Korean cooperation as largesse from the South.

If the president does not mention the nuclear issue and strikes generous deals instead, he will make himself look like a fool, further downgrading his approval rating. The South Korean government wants to raise 65 trillion won for inter-Korean economic exchanges, to which many South Koreans take a dim view. Economic exchanges should be talked about with many other equally important issues, such as the repatriation of South Korean abductees and regular reunion sessions of separated families.