Foreign Minister Grilled on U.S. Ties

Foreign Minister Lee Joung-binn was stopped in mid-sentence on the parliament floor on Friday as legislators questioned the government's picture of seamless cooperation between Seoul and Washington on North Korean policy.

"I have secured whole-hearted support for our North Korean policy in meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell . . ." Mr. Lee was saying at the National Assembly's committee on unification, foreign affairs and trade, when an opposition lawmaker stopped him.

"If cooperation was such, why did Director General Lim fly out only two days later to meet with Secretary Powell," asked Rep. Kim Yong-kap of the Grand National Party.

The legislator was referring to Lim Dong-won, director general of the National Intelligence Service, who is visiting Washington. The spy agency chief's hurried visit, which came on the heels of Mr. Lee's official visit to the U.S. capital last week, was called "secretive" by the press, and inspired a news report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was due in Seoul next week.

Reps. Park Kwan-yong and Yoo Heung-soo of the opposition party questioned whether Mr. Lim, reportedly the government's top adviser on North Korean affairs, was in Washington to "smooth out any diplomatic differences" between Seoul and the new Bush administration regarding North Korea.

The opposition went on to charge that the National Intelligence Service is directing unification and diplomatic policies, rather than sticking to intelligence gathering.

"Is it not the government's plan to hurriedly achieve unification during the North Korean leader's visit?" asked opposition Rep. Kim Deog-ryong. "Is it not the aim of Director General Lim's visit to convince the U.S. of the necessity of achieving unification by adopting a confederation system?"

The foreign minister explained that Mr. Lim's visit is proceeding according to the schedule decided by the government at the end of last year.

"The exchange of information between the two countries' intelligence agencies is the central purpose of his visit," Mr. Lee said. "He has also discussed Korean affairs with Korea watchers in the U.S."

by Noh Jae-hyun