Published: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 17:42:51 +0900

The Roh Administration fresh off of bashing Japan for condemning the North Korean missile launches, has now come out and denounced any sanctions against North Korea:

Seoul will not support a UN resolution co-sponsored by seven Security Council members including Japan, the U.S. and France to impose sanctions on North Korea for test-firing seven missiles last week. A government official on Monday hinted as much, saying it was ¿not desirable¿ for South Korea as a non-member of the Security Council to express its position on a particular UN resolution.

Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu-hyung on the same day called in Japanese Ambassador to Korea Shotaro Oshima to inform him the government does not support the resolution. ¿We can¿t be in the same boat with Japan all the way,¿ Foreign Ministry spokesman Choo Kyu-ho told international news agencies.

Seoul¿s lack of support makes it unlikely that South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will cooperate to resolve the missile issue.

Sanctions on North Korea would be the final blow to the failed "Sunshine Policy" because it would forbid the economic activities (bribes) going on between South and North Korea, most notably the Kaeseong industrial project and the Kumgang Mountain Tours.* Advancing the Sunshine Policy has been the Roh administration centerpiece governmental policy program.* I failure of this program would be seen as a failure of the Presidency.* The Roh administration is in full scale damage control to protect what ever little bit of legacy they which to leave South Korea.* I can only hope for the sake of the people in North Korea that the sanctions pass and the Sunshiners are voted out of office next year in South Korea.* The beginning of change in South Korea will also mean the beginning of change in North Korea.*

Tags: korea, UN

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