By Zhang Binyang and Gao Haorong, Xinhua,
Pyongyang : The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Tuesday turned down South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s offer to hold a fresh inter-Korean summit, in a move which reflects Pyongyang’s tough policy against his administration.
When asked to comment on a report by Japan’s Kyodo news agency that Lee has voiced his willingness to meet DPRK top leader Kim Jong Il at any time if it helps solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, a spokesman for the DPRK’s semi-official Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland ruled out the possibility of such a meeting.
“It is quite clear that it is impossible to sit at the negotiating table with such a man (Lee),” the official KCNA news agency quoted the spokesman as saying.
The spokesman’s remarks show that bilateral ties are still being gripped by the chill which has prevailed since Lee took office in February, analysts said.
SOURED RELATIONS
The DPRK’s attitude toward Lee has actually undergone some changes. When Lee made comments favoring a tougher line against the DPRK after his election, Pyongyang took a wait-and-see stance.
After a period of observation, Pyongyang vehemently blasted Lee and his policy on April 1, calling the South Korean president a “traitor” and a “sycophant toward the United States.”
Pyongyang also turned down the core of Lee’s DPRK policy, namely “no nukes, opening and 3,000 dollars,” which means that South Korea will help the country realize a per capita national income of 3,000 U.S. dollars in 10 years after the nuclear issue is resolved and the DPRK implements an opening-up policy.
In fact, the DPRK’s reactions were more than harsh words.
The country has not only suspended government-level talks between the two sides, but also reportedly test-fired missiles in the disputed inter-Korean western sea border in the Yellow Sea. The DPRK army has even threatened to launch a preemptive attack on South Korea.
LEE’S WILLINGNESS TO EASE TENSIONS
Lee’s offer of a new inter-Korean summit was the latest amicable gesture made by his government, which is softening its stance on the DPRK.
Other gestures of the Lee administration included its proposal for holding dialogue and its willingness to provide food aid to the country, a sharp contrast to its previous DPRK policy.
Lee, elected last December, had adopted a tougher stance toward Pyongyang than his predecessors since his inauguration in February. He has said prerequisites should be set for further large investment and aid projects in the DPRK.
But internal and international political factors have made him amend some of his policies toward the DPRK, analysts said.
First of all, a political crisis triggered by U.S. beef imports has dented Lee’s popularity. He became more vulnerable to criticism as his tough DPRK policy drew increased criticism from the opposition.
In addition, the improved DPRK-U.S. relations are putting more pressure on the South Korean government.
Pyongyang has handed over the accounts of its nuclear inventory, and Washington has begun procedures of removing the DPRK from its terrorism and sanctions blacklists.
Meanwhile, the first shipment of 500,000-ton food in aid promised by the Bush administration has arrived in the DPRK recently.
South Korea is worried that its role in East Asian affairs could decline in importance, analysts said.
The two sides have made unprecedented strides toward reconciliation under a past decade of liberal South Korean presidents, holding two summits in 2000 and 2007, reconnecting transportation links across their heavily armed frontier and reaching important agreements on inter-Korean relations.
However, deep-rooted disputes between the two sides will surface under certain circumstances. And the chilled relations would not be warmed up easily and the DPRK will continue to take a hard line toward the Lee administration, especially when it sees things will go its way, analysts said.