Inter-Korean Lull Seen

Unification Minister Hong Soon-young forecast a lull in inter-Korean relations Monday as he briefed legislators on the breakdown of last week's ministerial discussions.

"At the talks, the North said that it cannot participate in any inter-Korean events or dialogue in South Korea for the time being," Mr. Hong said. "Accordingly, a lull is inevitable in inter-Korean relations."

The minister said that the South Korean delegation detected a strong representation of North Korean military interests pervading the northern delegation at the talks that collapsed without any agreement on Wednesday.

"With such a domestic situation, the North is likely to turn hard-line toward the South," Mr. Hong said.

He said that Pyeongyang made a sticking point of Seoul's heightened security alert after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. At first the North insisted that the alert be canceled, he said.

"They eased that demand to requesting an apology and then to requesting an expression of regret," Mr. Hong said. "But they basically maintained the position that the South and its heightened alert was responsible for the breakdown in inter-Korean relations."

Political response to Mr. Hong's presentation featured some reversals.

Millennium Democratic Party members, usually supportive of the government's North Korea policy, criticized Mr. Hong for an "imprudent attitude toward negotiations." Representative Jang Sung-min noted that "the collapsed talks were the first failure since the June 15 [2000] summit."

The opposition Grand National Party, usually critical of the government's North Korea policy, applauded this time. "It is laudable that Minister Hong resisted the North's obduracy in insisting that the South call off the security alert before the two sides could discuss an agenda," said the spokesman, Kwon Chul-hyun.

by Lee Young-jong