ROK's reunifications efforts and reelection of President Bush

- N.P.Upadhyaya

Which model would be a suitable one for the re-unification of the two Koreas and when that would happen? This was a question being asked by media men to one of the Director Generals at the German foreign ministry by a set of international media tem in Berlin in 2000. I was also a member of the same team. Since then four years have passed.

The question of the unification of Korea came when one Korean media man asked the German diplomat as to what his country had in mind vis-à-vis the Korean reunification?

The standard answer from him was Germany wished that the two Koreas united which was in the larger interest of the region, the Korean peninsula, and for the better security of the world.

The question yet remains intact with North Korea under Kim Jong Il exhibiting reluctance in going in for the resumption of the now stalled talks and provide a boost to the process of reunification.

However, interestingly, when I was in Seoul, President Bush got reelected which must have sent some exclusive messages to the movers and shakers of the North Korean politics.

Said Korea Times dated November 6, 2004 (the day I left Seoul for Nepal via Bangkok) that "the reelection of U.S. President George W. Bush could exacerbate the North Korean nuclear crisis, and that Washington will persist with diplomacy and noting signs of flexibility from Pyongyang".

The Unification Minister Chung Dong-young was heard saying, "I believe that North Korea is showing signs of changing after the U.S elections".

To recall, North Korea shunned Inter-Korean exchanges and six-nation talks on the nuclear crisis in the months leading to the U.S poll, launching a barrage of criticisms at Presidential candidate Bush then.

Nevertheless, during my stay there all that I could notice from my going to the Korean media was that the NK indicated a sort of willingness to allow South Korean business-men to visit Pyongyang—something that she had refused since July—and suggested holding a working level meeting with civic group members last month to prepare for next year's anniversary celebrations for the June 15, Inter-Korean summits.

Foreign Minister, Ban Ki-moon also that time had expressed his optimism about the nuclear talks dismissing suggestions that the Bush administration will take a harder line with NK in its second term if Pyongyang continued to refuse to scrap its nuclear weapons programs.

However, in North Korea's first response to the U.S. election outcome, the deputy chief of its mission to the United Nations, Han Song-ryol, said Pyongyang will not return to the six-party talks unless there are "material changes" to the US policies in President Bush's second term. This he told to a left leaning South Korean daily, Hankyoreh, wrote the Korea Times dated 6 November.

Back at the Ministry of Unification, Director, Office of International Cooperation, Suh, Ho a few days earlier had briefed me about the ROK efforts at unification.

Basically, the policy of Sun Shine acquired by Kim Dae jung administration is little bit changed to a policy of "Peace and Prosperity". However, the concepts of both the policies appear same. In saying so, Korea believes in the presumption that a prosperous ROK will automatically be in the interest of the North.

He also made it clear that ROK had opened three fronts for cooperation. First was political that covered bilateral talks; the second was initiation and enhancement of the economic contacts and third being the social aspect which envisioned the interaction in between and among various civil society groups and the NGO or INGOs This facilitates greater contacts in between the two civilians of the two Koreas.

Why the North is least interested in the resumption of the talks? I asked this question to Director Suh. He says there could be three exclusive reasons. The NK thinks that the US has frames a sort of complete hostile policy towards her; secondly, the NK citizens were fleeing to the South in good numbers and thirdly, the NK is apparently uncomfortable with the US passing certain Human Rights' laws that are not compatible to the NK regime.

My next question was how China viewed the talks? Well, says Director Suh, China-North Korea has a special relationship. These two countries treat each other as brotherly countries. However, China has become more cautious in not allowing NK civilians to flee to the South through their own landmass. It might damage their fraternal relations.

Nevertheless, China is strongly in favor of the talks but then yet as a nation state she too has a limit to press the other nation-state. China's Prime Minister have had talks with Kim Jong Il. But it is the North that is not listening to other valuable suggestions, I suppose, said Director Suh. In addition to that, China is perhaps hinting at the North Korea to look into the high development of the countries in the neighborhood and compare it with its own and get the message.

Nevertheless, China as a very old friend of North Korea, we in Seoul believe that China would some how or the other not allow the North Koreans to go down-hill. In order to keep the North moving, China as a next door neighbor is sending Rice, fertilizers and crude oil, we are told.

Talking on China, Director Suh hinted that Seoul had indications that China wished the NK administration to create "abilities" to sustain the country through enhanced development in practically all the possible sectors. "However, NK apparently has no such capabilities as preferred by China", Director Suh lamented.

According to the ministry of unification diplomat, North Korean regime suspected of information leakages, which might expose her weaknesses.

A weaker society, politically and economically, anywhere in the world does so in order not to get exposed in the comity of nations.

As of Japanese interest in NK matters were concerned, I could see the Japanese foreign minister Nobutaka Machimura, in Seoul apparently to talk to his ROK counterpart on various pending issues such as North Korean nuclear crisis. The Japanese minister was also scheduled to talk to unification minister. This perhaps explained the Japanese concern on NK going nuclear.

Suh opined that we the Koreans, here or there, possess the same culture and traditions. More so our blood are same and that if unification efforts materialize, we would constitute a greater landmass together.

It now all depends on how the NK regime looks at the Seoul's sincere unification overtures.

What was interesting to me during my short stay in Seoul that some Korean politicians were questioning whether a diplomatic shake-up was needed for Korea to bring into effect to cope with the Bush's reelection to the White House for one more term.

However, my newly introduced friends at the foreign ministry told me that Korea's foreign policy lineup was not likely to go in for a major policy shift even if the US counterpart was reshaped in the coming days.

Nevertheless, the fact is that on the day of the elections results of the US, Koreans both at the public and the government level were keenly watching which turn the result will take: Bush or Kerry? With Bush now continuing, Koreans see no reasons to panic, diplomatically speaking, as President Roh is not a new personality for President Bush.

Finally, I wish to conclude my five-day long impressions on ROK. Though the trip was a short one, however, I enjoyed every minute of my stay there. Hope to see Korea again in the future. Namu Namu Dedani Gamsahamnida Ambassador Park and Mr. Doh for arranging my trip to Hang-guk!

Concluded

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