Don’t probe summit, Kim says in TV talk

In a clip from a talk show set to air Sunday on public television, former President Kim Dae-jung spoke out for the first time on the independent counsel’s investigation into the 2000 inter-Korea Summit.
“As then-chief, I cannot suppress my sadness that people who worked for our nation and economy are facing prosecution when there were no improprieties or irregularities committed,” Mr. Kim said. “There is no change in my stance that the delivery of money to North Korea should not be subject to a legal investigation.”
Before stepping down from his five-year tenure, Mr. Kim said that the $500 million sent to North Korea by Hyundai group was for business rights, and that the government’s facilitation of the transfer was a “presidential prerogative.”
His remarks come at a pivotal time in the independent counsel’s investigation. The counsel team will summon Park Jie-won, the former president’s right-hand man, on Monday. Talk about extending the counsel’s duration is circulating in the political sector.
On the clip from the television program, which is to mark the third anniversary of the summit, Mr. Kim opposed any sanctions against North Korea, warning they could lead to war.
“The North Korean nuclear program must be dismantled, and the United States should guarantee the survival of the North regime,” Mr. Kim said. “That is the only viable resolution.”
Mr. Kim added, “It is clear that Kim Jong-il has utmost interest in improving relations with the United States.”
“It is regrettable that Kim Jong-il keeps missing opportunities to visit Seoul; his visit would greatly contribute to relations,” Mr. Kim said. The two leaders agreed in 2000 that Kim Dae-jung would reciprocate his Pyeongyang visit.
During the former president’s limousine ride with Kim Jong-il in Pyeongyang in 2000, the two leaders “did not talk because we were busy waving at the crowd.”
The program will air Sunday at 8 p.m. on the Korean Broadcasting System.

by Lee Jung-min