Confusion Abounds in Government Policy towards North

"I swear on my life that I did not know," claimed Unification Minister Park Jae-kyu.

"I knew, but I did not announce it in advance," stated Unification Vice Minister Yang Yong-shik.

A peculiar scene unfolded at the Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee of the National Assembly June 20. The minister and vice minister of the same ministry gave contradictory accounts when questioned if the government had already known whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-il would greet South Korean President Kim at the Pyongyang Sunan airport.

To the amazement of lawmakers, Park explained, "We believed that it was possible that he (Kim Jong-il) would come to the airport, but we did not know in advance. Vice minister Yang is mistaken." Vice Minister Yang, however, responded, "I reported at the briefing session (at the Seoul Press Center), just what the (South Korean) control room in Pyongyang ordered."

Chief of Protocol Son Sang-ha from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who was dispatched as a member of the advance team, said "the possibility that Chairman Kim would welcome President Kim at the airport was foreseen, but North Korea had not verified anything."

At the same meeting, Park acknowledged the reality of war prisoners in the North, but his comment that "there are no war prisoners in North Korea under the definition of international law" infuriated members of the National Defense Ministry. Park's statement, however, supports the Ministry's official standpoint that 'the issue of the war prisoners in the North is not being pursued through processes of international law.'

Sundry other conflicts and contradictions exist among government authorities, who are in the midst of preparations for the follow-up measures to be implemented following the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration.

The integrated standpoints of the government regarding how to manage delicate and important issues have not yet been clearly defined.

The differences between the Unification and National Defense ministries in their legal interpretations on the issues of the war prisoners have created troubling circumstances. Military officials of the National Defense Ministry expressed their dissatisfaction at the private meetings. "We are baffled by Park's opinion that the prisoners of war be considered dispersed family members."

The Ministry of National Defense announced that Minister Cho Seong-tae has demanded an explanation from the Unification Ministry regarding Park's statement.

A Chong Wa Dae official's idea to "swiftly launch the South-North reconciliation and cooperation development committee as a coordinative measure" was denied by the Unification Ministry, the working-level authority. The Ministry stated June 21 that "nothing was ever agreed upon." This conflict was caused by contriving to place a higher authority over the already existing power.

In order to pin down the truth, lawmakers of the Standing Unification Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee requested to Vice Minister Yang that documents from the Pyongyang control room be disclosed June 22 in order to verify which of the two minister's accounts is correct. A source from Chong Wa Dae, however, only commented that "a situation like this should never develop; this is a very regrettable incident."

Chong Wa Dae banned a JoongAng Ilbo reporter indefinitely in the aftermath of an exclusive report publishedin the June 20 edition. The controversial piece related Kim Jong-il's promise to 'revise the Workers' Party's pact' as well as his opinion on the U.S. military in South Korea. Chong Wa Dae insisted that this exclusive report violated 'off-the-record' orders.

Chong Wa Dae Spokesperson Park Joon-young requested that reporters "refrain from reporting those issues which might provoke North Korea as well as those that might expose the strategy of South Korea." Park rationalized that "we feared that Kim Jong-il's attitude might be aggravated if the North's hard-line faction objected to his conciliatory behavior toward the South."

Unification Minister Park replied June 21 that he believes that "the power and authority of Kim Jong-il is firm and solid," when reporters asked if it was possible that the North Korean political system will become unstable if Kim Jong-il changes his stance on the aforementioned issues.

Only two days after the June 9 announcement of Unification Vice Minister Yang to "openly discuss issues of economic cooperation in connection with those of dispersed families," Chong Wa Dae Spokesperson Park denied any such intention. This is representative of the chaotic internal condition of the government; fundamental judgements and perspectives on information related to Pyongyang have not been clearly settled.

Millennium Democratic Party Representative Suh Young-hoon asserted June 18 that "the National Security Laws must be changed to adapt to modern conditions. We should revise them immediately." Suh hastily added, however, that this was only his personal opinion.

Lim Dong-won, head of the National Intelligence Service, told a Christian congregation that "North Korea tried to raise both the North Korean and South Korean national flags at the Pyongyang airport, and planned to play the respective national anthems." Lim was holding forth at Kwangrim church June 17 when he delivered that comment.

Culture and Tourism Minister Park Jie-won announced that Kim Jong-il said that "if the military is left idle, its hostility towards the enemy will heighten. Therefore, I should enlist the aid of the military for the Seoul-Shineuiju railroad construction project."

The leaders of the MDP were under strict orders from representative Suh 'to keep all confidential information secret.'

A high-ranking official of the party said "serious concern has arisen that these conflicts will aggravate tension just at the crucial time when follow-up measures must be carried out in order to fulfill the two leaders' agreement."

Another source pointed out that "the standard policy of whether to maintain confidentiality or to fully disclose information was not made clear. This competition to make important announcements is highly problematic."

At the same time, a meeting of the senior secretaries at Chong Wa Dae was conducted in order to carefully monitor its announcement.

by Kim Suk-hyon