[USFK Forums] Lee Pledges Deeper S-N Economic Cooperation [Korea Times]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Lee Pledges Deeper S-N Economic Cooperation

The Korea Times, Tuesday, February 14, 2006
By Seo Dong-shin, Staff Reporter

The Ministry of Unification said Tuesday that it will attempt to deepen inter-Korean economic cooperation this year. In its report to President Roh Moo-hyun, the ministry pledged to work toward establishing reciprocal economic projects in five fields: agriculture, fisheries, forestry, light industry and mining.

``By steadily pursuing these new economic cooperation projects based on the inter-Korean agreements made last year, we'll be able to secure a new driving force for the developments in inter-Korean relations,'' Lee Jong-seok, unification minister who took office last Friday, told reporters. ``On the other hand, they will provide the South Korean economy with new alternatives.''

Under the plan, South Korea will assist the North with agricultural technologies for some of the communist country's collective farms. Last August, the two Koreas agreed to cooperate in farming on a few North Korean collective farms. Since then, the South Korean government has been reviewing possible measures.

The two sides have also discussed ways to develop further cooperation in light industry and the mining industry in recent inter-Korean economic talks. South Korea is to provide the North with materials for making clothes, shoes and soap, expecting in return the rights to develop mining in the North.

Lee also said that his priority is to institutionalize peace on the Korean Peninsula. ``As I have emphasized several times before, there can be no reunification without peace. It's our first goal to institutionalize peace,'' he said.

Lee, who was in charge of coordinating South Korea's foreign and security policies as deputy chief of the presidential National Security Council (NSC) before assuming the ministerial post, said that two factors need to be resolved before tackling the peace agenda.

``First, we need to see progress on the North Korea nuclear issue,'' he said, referring to the recent stalemate in the six-party talks aimed at tackling Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. ``The other issue is that of easing military tension on the inter-Korean border, over which 1.8 million soldiers confront each other.''

Lee remained upbeat on prospects, saying that the inter-Korean business complex in the North Korean border town of Kaesong and a South Korean company's tourism business in Mt. Kumgang, located near the east coast, are good examples of easing military tensions.

As part of the efforts to ease military tensions on the world's most heavily fortified border, the government is hoping that South and North Korea could strike an agreement on holding military talks on a regular basis at the general-level. Military talks between the two Koreas are scheduled for late February or early March.

North Korea's mouthpieces, however, have recently voiced criticism against the ``hypocrisy'' of South Korea, which ``talks of easing military tensions on the front and continue joint military drills with outside forces behind the back.'' The criticism refers to joint military exercises of the South Korean and the U.S. troops.

saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr

02-14-2006 17:30

[Hiker]

CY Lee;

Thank you for the articles on nK. It appears they are not as sheltered as is being reported. It re-enforces Kim Jong Il's philosophy of "Do nor do as I do, Do as I say.