President doubts North’s moves to improve relations

Lee Myung-bak

President Lee Myung-bak yesterday expressed skepticism about the true intentions behind North Korea’s latest peacemaking gestures, urging the international community to coordinate policies and increase pressure on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear arms program.

In a wide-ranging, one-hour interview with South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency and Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, Lee addressed domestic politics and the economy, global efforts to resolve the nuclear crisis on the peninsula and Korea-Japan relations.

The president also reiterated a desire that the Japanese emperor visit Korea in order to end lingering animosity between the two countries over Japan’s past colonial rule of Korea.

Lee’s views were presented as he nears the completion of one-third of his five-year-term.

Lee said it is premature for Korea to discuss an exit plan from emergency measures taken to shield the economy from the global financial crisis. He also urged the nation’s politicians to make bipartisan efforts to amend the constitution to improve the country’s governance and end perennial regionalism.

The Korean-language text of the entire interview was made available by Yonhap yesterday afternoon.

On Japan, Lee said that “until now, Korea-Japan relations have improved steadily, but we hope to make a leap to the next level of mutual trust.” He said it is time for the two countries to move beyond their rocky past. Referring to post-war cooperation between Germany and other European nations to form the European Union, Lee said he expects such progress in Asia, particularly between Korea and Japan.

Still, Lee made clear that Korea had been forcibly annexed by Japan 100 years ago, urging on Japan’s efforts to close a painful chapter on the two countries’ past.

“Moving forward doesn’t necessarily mean that the past is no longer an issue,” Lee said. “That’s why I think the Japanese emperor’s visit to Korea is extremely meaningful. The trip is important, but what kinds of attitudes he will show during the visit are also significant.” Saying that a visit by Japanese Emperor Akihito would serve as an opportunity to “permanently remove the distance” between the two nations, Lee said he hoped to receive him next year.

Regarding North Korea, Lee cast doubts over a series of peacemaking gestures made recently by Pyongyang.

After its nuclear test in May, “the UN Security Council, led by the United States and Japan, imposed strong sanctions, and the measures were approved widely by the international community,” Lee said. “In the past, similar UN sanctions were leveled, but this time, the sanctions were the strongest and actually implemented. And the North appears to be perplexed by the sanctions’ substantial effects.

“[The North] has made some peaceful gestures toward the United States, the South and Japan in order to escape the crisis, but I don’t see any sincerity or signs that the North will give up its nuclear arms program,” Lee said.

Criticizing the North for trying to buy time in order to be recognized as a nuclear-armed state while receiving economic assistance through bargaining, Lee said Beijing, Moscow, Seoul, Tokyo and Washington must bolster their efforts to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear programs by coordinating their strategies.

On the domestic side, Lee stressed the importance of political reform in Korea, saying the scope of a constitutional amendment must be carefully focused and politicians of both ruling and opposition parties must cooperate to redraw administrative districts and electorates.

The ruling Grand National Party has pushed a constitutional amendment to adopt a hybrid “presidential-parliamentary” government in an attempt to modify the supposed shortcomings of Korea’s single five-year-term presidency.

Lee also repeated yesterday his request to the legislature to revise election systems in order to end Korea’s perennial confrontations between the Jeolla and Gyeongsang regions and to seek national unity.

While the world economies are considering the timing of the end of stimulus efforts to address the financial crisis, Lee said he thinks it is premature to discuss a specific plan.

“I think we still need to be careful during the second half of this year, and maybe the first half of next year,” Lee said. “In the past, exit plans were implemented prematurely and the crisis returned.”

Lee said the South Korean government is focused on boosting domestic demand and encouraging corporate investment. “And the next move will be creating jobs to assist small companies and the people who often become victims during the process of escaping from crisis,” he said.

By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]