Summit follow-up

The government is on the verge of pouring
out policies related to the inter-
Korean summit meeting.
“To prepare for the next administration,
there must be a simple and clear road map,”
said President Roh Moo-hyun. This is needed
both to prevent any misunderstandings
regarding the implementation of the agreements
made at the meeting and to keep promises
from being hushed up, according to the
president.
Unification Minister Lee Jae-jung
announced that the government will form a
multi-ministry organization under the
umbrella of the prime minister. From this
starting point, continuous press conferences
by high-level government officials are scheduled
to take place.
Of course it is obvious for the government
to take steps to prepare measures when a historical
agreement was made by the respective
leaders of the South and North. Also, it is definite
that when the agreements are indeed
actually implemented, tension between the
two countries will be eased. But nothing can
be done in haste. The agreements made at the
meeting will take time to be implemented
and considering the four months left for this
administration, no noticeable changes will
come during Roh’s term. This may be also the
reason for the low public interest in this
administration’s summit meeting.
Declaring the end of the Korean War and
the Northern Limit Line issues are sensitive
topics. Discussions, concessions and agreements
are essential among the Korean people,
not to mention cooperation from China, the
United States and other interested countries.
When it comes to economic support such as
paving roads, there are no limits to how much
the South may end up spending. Quite a few
Koreans are already lamenting how much the
South has given the North.
Simply put, time is needed to guide matters
toward South Korea’s best interests. This
may be the most important part of the summit
follow-up. Some coordination can be done
together with the North.
But the current administration is making
it look like nothing can be amended in the
agreements made. This is from pure selfrighteousness.
The government must also
understand that when they attempt to decorate
the progress made, they will ruin any
existing achievements.
“Let’s settle on how much is needed to
implement the agreements made and how
long it takes, simply and clearly,” said Roh.
This is correct. This is how the current government
should gather the people’s opinions.