[USFK Forums] Kim Dae-jung Calls for US Initiate in 6-way Talks [Korea Times]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Kim Dae-jung Calls for US Initiative in 6-Way Talks

The Korea Times, Tuesday, March 21, 2006By Park Song-wu, Staff Reporter

[PHOTO: Unloadable] Former President Kim Dae-jung, right, shakes hands with Woo Tong-ki, president of Yeungnam University, after receiving honorary doctorate in political science from the school in Kyongsan, North Kyongsang Province, Tuesday.
/ Yonhap

Former President Kim Dae-jung said on Tuesday that the United States needs to present a proposal to answer North Korea's promise of scrapping its nuclear weapons programs.

``North Korea has already declared that it will abandon its nuclear programs and Pyongyang even showed its intention to allow Washington to inspect (its nuclear sites),'' Kim said during a special lecture at Yeungnam University in Taegu.

In September, Pyongyang agreed in the six-party talks to give up its nuclear programs in return for economic assistance and a security guarantee.

But the denuclearization talks _ attended by the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan _ have been in limbo since November when the U.S. financial restrictions against North Korea became a bone of contention.

``Now it's time for Washington to present its own initiative and the six-party talks should search for ways to jointly guarantee how to implement the U.S. proposal,'' he said.

Kim said the United States should lift its sanctions on Pyongyang while guaranteeing North Korea's security. ``The two sides need to give and take what they want to achieve and the two sides should implement them simultaneously,'' he said.

The Nobel prize winner honored for his ``sunshine policy'' also said that Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, should make a return visit to Seoul.

``When I meet him once again in Pyongyang this year, I think Chairman Kim will explain to me why he has not yet kept his promise,'' Kim said. ``I think he should abide by his words.''

Kim Dae-jung traveled to Pyongyang in June 2000 for the historic inter-Korean summit. Then, Kim Jong-il promised to visit South Korea at an appropriate time.

The former president underlined the importance of inter-Korean economic cooperation programs, which he said is the first step toward the confederacy of the two Koreas.

``At the moment, the most important thing is to cooperate with each other while keeping peace on the Korean Peninsula,'' he said. ``Reunification should come in a peaceful way when the North's economy is grown and the two sides trust each other.''

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.

Taegu, a politically conservative city, was the first region Kim chose to visit this year.

He received an honorary doctorate in political science from Yeungnam University for his contributions to the democratization in South Korea and his efforts for inter-Korean reconciliation.


im@koreatimes.co.kr

03-21-2006 17:35