[USFK Forums] 'Talks on Confederation of Koreas Premature' [Korea Times]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Sunday, March 12, 2006

‘Talks on Confederation of Koreas Premature’

Friday, March 10, 2006By Park Song-wu, Staff Reporter

Lee Byung-wan, presidential chief of staff, on Friday denied an allegation that former President Kim Dae-jung will discuss ways to establish a confederation of the two Koreas when he visits Pyongyang in June.
During a question-and-answer session at a seminar in Seoul, Lee said that ``there is no process on the issue regarding the form of unification.

``It will be possible to talk about it only when the two Koreas achieve the establishment of a peace regime, perfect security framework and an economic system that is fully intertwined.''

In a related development, Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok said at a different seminar at the National Assembly that North Korea has not yet reacted to the former president's request for a visit to Pyongyang.

``Late last month, we notified the North of Kim's hope to change his schedule,'' Lee told lawmakers. ``But we've not yet received any reactions from the North. I am not sure whether Pyongyang will give us an answer this month.''

It is possible that an answer from Pyongyang will not come early, ``given the characteristics of the North Korean government,'' Lee said.

Kim, who attended the historic inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in 2000, originally hoped to travel to Pyongyang in April. But he had to postpone it due to rising criticism that it could affect the upcoming May 31 local elections.

In a book on a ``three-stage'' approach to Korean reunification, published in 1997, Kim explained that the first stage should achieve the two Korea's confederation _ one nation, two states and two independent governments.

The second stage is a federation _ one nation, one state, one system and two autonomous regional governments. The third and final stage is the complete unification _ a unified state of either a centralized government or several regional autonomous governments.



im@koreatimes.co.kr

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