Roh calls for softer stance against North

In a speech in Los Angeles Saturday, President Roh Moo-hyun urged Washington to soften its stance on the North Korean nuclear issue, calling military action unacceptable and saying that there was some validity to the North’s claims that its pursuit of nuclear arms is in self-defense.
In a speech before the World Affairs Council, Mr. Roh flatly ruled out military action even as a negotiating point. “Before the six-nation talks began, some mentioned using armed force against the North,” Mr. Roh said. “It is too much to ask of the Korean people, who have risen from the ashes, to submit to the risk of a war again... I believe the United States will respect such a reality as ours.” Mr. Roh made it clear that his opposition extended to the possibility of a blockade, which he said would prolong the crisis.
As of yesterday, Washington had no official reaction to Mr. Roh’s remarks. Mr. Roh and U.S. President George W. Bush are scheduled to meet Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Chile.
In his speech, Mr. Roh said there was some validity to the North’s argument that its nuclear and missile programs are intended to deter outside threats. “North Korea’s arguments are difficult to trust in general, but the North’s claim appears to have some merit in this particular matter,” he said. He asserted that Pyeongyang has not been involved in terrorism since the Korean Air bombing of 1987. “We have found no evidence that the North is connected with terrorist organizations,” Mr. Roh said. The United States has labeled North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism.
Mr. Roh stressed that dialogue is the only way to resolve the nuclear crisis. “The United States has already entered the path of dialogue,” Mr. Roh said. “North Korea, at first, rejected the six-nation talks, but it has been attending the talks and made some proposals.”
The two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States have held a series of talks on the nuclear issue; the fourth round, scheduled for September, was snubbed by Pyeongyang. The North has demanded that the Bush administration change its “hostile” policy against Pyeongyang as a condition for resuming the talks.
Mr. Roh said the North will eventually give up its nuclear weapons when it sees hope for security assurances and success in economic reforms. He urged the United States to trust the North to resolve the crisis peacefully. He also said South Korea, with the world’s 11th largest economy, should be able to defend itself. “It is not an appropriate attitude as an ally to cling to [the United States] for unconditional protection,” Mr. Roh said.
Mr. Roh’s remarks met with fierce criticism at home from the opposition Grand National Party. “At this critical juncture, when South Korea-U.S. cooperation is more important than at any other time, Mr. Roh appeared to understand more about the North’s position than the United States’s,” Yim Tae-hee, the Grand National spokesman, said yesterday.

by Ser Myo-ja