Will diplomacy, nat`l security tasks suffer amid treaty fiasco?

The resignation of the presidential secretary for external strategy planning over the fiasco surrounding an intelligence protection treaty will likely result in setbacks to key diplomatic and national security issues that had been spearheaded by him.

Kim Tae-hyo had been handling core projects of President Lee Myung-bak independently from the foreign and public security ministries.

Kim apparently sought to leave open the possibility of revisiting the maligned treaty by opting to step down before the presidential secretary for civil affairs began a probe into the case. By taking responsibility for the controversy, he made a gesture to urge the administration to push ahead with the treaty.

Observers say, however, that the momentum to sign the deal has effectively waned in the wake of his departure from the presidential office.

Even the ruling Saenuri Party is reluctant to endorse the signing of the treaty, while people in and out of the government call it virtually impossible for the administration to ink the deal under the Lee administration.

Revision of Korea`s missile guidelines with the U.S., an initiative that Kim had been spearheading, will also face a similar fate. Seoul has sought to extend the range of its ballistic missiles since President Lee emphasized it in person early this year. But the government`s efforts have bore no fruit.

The missile range issue requires intra-U.S. government coordination between the Defense Department, which emphasizes the bilateral alliance, and the State Department, which focuses on the non-proliferation of missile technologies. Kim, however, had single-handedly been handling this issue for Seoul and had informed no ministry of any progress.

A source at the Korean presidential office said, “Kim visited the U.S. for consultations with the White House and related departments in April, but didn`t inform the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry or the Defense Ministry of the results since returning from his U.S. tour,” adding, “The issue has become a task over which no one is in charge.”

Kim was also deeply involved in affairs related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and talks on a Korea-China free trade agreement, meaning both activities will also lose steam. He had secretively contacted the North in Beijing last year, and was rumored to be preparing an event like inter-Korean talks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Council meeting set for September in Vladivostok, Russia.

The Foreign Ministry is seeking to regain internal stability from the presidential office’s announcement of the results of its probe Friday as a turning point. The ministry said Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will attend the ASEAN Regional Forum in Cambodia next week.

The majority of ministry staff had initially suggested that he nix going to Cambodia due to his required attendance at the parliamentary foreign affairs, trade and unification committee. But the ministry decided that he needs to focus on basic pending issues in diplomacy since the probe results have come out.

A ministry source said, “Minister Kim should chair the (South) Korea-Mekong foreign ministers’ meeting and hold a foreign ministers` summit with China. It`s undesirable given Korea’s international stature for him not to attend the meetings due to domestic affairs.”

Since the foreign minister must respect the parliamentary schedule, however, the ministry plans to flexibly adjust his schedule. For one, the main opposition Democratic United Party is poised to make a fuss if he snubs the parliamentary event.

Park Ki-choon, senior deputy floor leader of the party, said, “If the (National Assembly`s) Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee hold a public hearing in connection with the Korea-Japan intelligence protection treaty, the minister should naturally attend. Taking an overseas trip amid this situation is a deceitful plot and neglect of his duty.”

Thus the Foreign Ministry is considering having Minister Kim participate in part of the forum set for Monday through Friday and have Vice Foreign Minister Kim Sung-han attend the remainder of the event instead.

shcho@donga.com