Opposition Urges Shift in North Korea Policy

The main opposition Democratic Party urged the Lee Myung-bak administration Friday to change its North Korea policy on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, saying there should never be war on the Korean Peninsula again.

In a meeting of the party’s leading officials, party chairman Chung Sye-kyun criticized President Lee for saying he does not fear war with North Korea.

Citing public fears over rising tension between the two Koreas, Chung blasted both Pyongyang`s threat to turn Seoul into a “sea of fire” and the South`s talk of its readiness to go war with the North.

In a commentary marking the anniversary, party spokesman Noh Young-min urged those who promote inter-Korean confrontation to stop their “bellicose” rhetoric and return to dialogue.

Democratic Party members, however, neither criticized the North for starting the Korean War nor commented on the Korean people’s suffering because of the conflict.

President Lee`s comment criticized by the Democratic Party came May 30 after a three-way summit with China and Japan. He said, “While we do not fear war, we don`t want war, either. We have no intention of going to war.”

jin0619@donga.com