Seoul, Washington Try to Contain Frankfurt Airport Controversy

Seoul and Washington are making concerted efforts to contain the possible diplomatic fallout from the abrupt return to Pyongyang by North Korea's angry titular head of state, Kim Yong-nam.

Despite the cancellation of the planned New York meeting between the two Kims, high-ranking Seoul officials said that botched meeting would not damage inter-Korean relations.

"We do not expect any problem in inter-Korean relations, but we are anxious about the effect it might have on relations between North Korea and the United States," a high-ranking Seoul official said. "But the two countries basically do not want relations to worsen. Thus, we expect [normal] relations to resume."

In Washington September 5, White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said, "It is certainly an unfortunate incident that we regret, as the United States had been expecting the North's participation at the U.N. Millennium Summit. We hope this incident will not affect our dialogue with the North."

One Washington insider commented, "Bear in mind that North Korea is the only country on the U.S. list of 'state sponsors of terrorism' to be invited to a reception hosted by President Clinton. The president holds improvement of inter-Korean relations as one of his main foreign affairs achievements. The United States does not want relations with the North to worsen."

President Kim and President Clinton are to discuss on the matter September 7 in New York.

Presidential spokesman Park Jun-young said, "It is regretful that the meeting between President Kim and Kim Yong-nam was canceled. We do not want U.S.-N.K. relations to be affected by this."

Meanwhile, the North Korean Foreign Ministry issued an official statement denouncing the United States.

"This is a brigandish act of violating international passage and neglecting elementary etiquette and morality with respect to a state representative. Accordingly, it is an unbearable mockery of the sovereignty of an independent state and a grave challenge to the United Nations and the summit organized by it," the statement said.

The North's statement said that the U.S. action "suggests that its hostile policy toward North Korea has not changed one bit but is getting more despicable and crafty. The United States will come to know what a dear price it will have to pay for having hurt our people's dignity."

Top Japanese Government spokesman Hidenao Nakagawa said in a press conference September 6, "It is regrettable that the meeting planned for September 7 between Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Chairman Kim cannot go ahead."

In the meantime, political analysts are pinpointing the North's emotional response and the excessive security check by American Airlines staff, who ignored the general rule of practice for foreign dignitaries, for the bungled Kim-Kim meeting.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, both leaders of countries listed as 'state sponsors of terrorism' and attending the Millennium Summit, did not undergo the 'enhanced security check.'

There is also criticism that, in light of the fact that North Korea had relayed its intention to attend the Millennium Summit, the airline staff were overly thorough, asking the North Korean delegation to remove their jackets and shoes.

However, it will be hard for the North to avoid blame for its emotional reaction to the incident when it had a series of bilateral meetings planned.

by Kim Jin-kook