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| This photo released on Nov. 19 by the North Korean government shows its launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Nov. 18. Yonhap |
Unification minister says he still believes denuclearization of Korean Peninsula is possible
By Jung Min-ho
Seoul proposed that Pyongyang get an unconditional, partial lifting of sanctions if the reclusive state returns to nuclear disarmament talks "with sincerity."
The Ministry of Unification on Monday unveiled the detailed plans for the "Audacious Initiative," a road map by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to the denuclearization of ― and sustainable peace on ― the Korean Peninsula.
The three-phase policy package promises the North Korean government an unprecedented level of economic support, most notably for modernizing its infrastructure, in exchange for ultimately giving up nuclear weapons.
Yet in an effort to resume negotiations with the North, which have been stalled for more than two years, the ministry said that, as the first step, it will ask for nothing but North Korea's participation with sincerity while offering to suspend international sanctions on its mineral exports.
Asked whether the proposal would be feasible, given that it requires the agreement of other countries such as the United States, a high-ranking ministry official told reporters that he is highly optimistic.
"We have already asked for understanding and cooperation [from other countries]. I believe there won't be any problem," the official said.
The ministry said in a statement that the measure of suspending sanctions is part of a resources-food exchange program that it seeks to implement with North Korea when it returns to talks. If reached, the North would be able to import medicines, fertilizers and other products with the money from the exports. At that stage, the ministry said it will also press forward with projects to support its medical, farming and forest industries.
In the second stage, the Yoon administration promises to help Pyongyang modernize its power supply systems, improve its airports and harbors, provide advanced farming technologies, build international networks in finance and develop other infrastructure it needs. In return, North Korea should take concrete steps toward denuclearization.
In the last stage, in which the denuclearization must be achieved, the Yoon administration would expand trade with North Korea to all possible areas, help it restore relations with the U.S. and seek a bilateral arms control deal for a lasting peace on the peninsula.
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| Cho Joong-hoon, spokesman for the Ministry of Unification, speaks during a press briefing at the Government Complex Seoul, Monday. Newsis |
The "Audacious Initiative" is different from the policies of South Korea's previous conservative administrations as it does not require anything specific, such as a promise for denuclearization, in order to resume talks and offers more comprehensive, long-term not just economic but also political support, the ministry said.
It is also different from the policies of the previous liberal governments as some core values, such as improving human rights for ordinary North Koreans, will never be compromised. The North, also, will never get away with any of its provocations, the ministry added.
The ministry also vowed to make progress in the areas where it can without agreement from North Korea, such as improving the support system for North Korean defectors and lifting its decades-long ban on public access to North Korean media content in the South.
"We will improve the transparency of our North Korea policy even if that takes more time," the ministry said. "We will keep our national dignity and core values while being flexible and practical as we push for the policy."
On Friday, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed near Japanese waters in its latest major weapons test. Intelligence reports show that it may be on the brink of conducting its seventh nuclear weapons test.
Speaking at a seminar for the "Audacious Initiative" later that day, Minister Kwon Young-se urged North Korean leaders to return to the negotiation table, saying security tensions created by their weapons tests "will only accelerate the North's isolation and darken its future."
"Among many reasons for the current state of the two Koreas' relationship, one is a lack of trust. If the North reacts positively to our offer for talks, we will audaciously implement not just diplomatic but also political and military measures. We seek to build trust through all this and make the North realize that giving up its nuclear arsenal is the optimal path [for its future]," he said. "If the South and the international community, united based on universal values, stay on the course for peace and prosperity for the Korean Peninsula and the world, I think we can achieve the denuclearization of North Korea."
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