Possible discord surfaces between S Korea, US on inter-Korean summit
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Kim Junghyun
Despite fledgling hopes here for a summit between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the country is now left to try to decipher a senior U.S. official's remarks, speculated to be hinting at subtle differences in the US stance on an inter-Korean summit.
Media frenzy in Seoul on a possible inter-Korean summit was sparked by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's comment in a recent interview with the British public broadcaster BBC, where he said he might be able to meet with the DPRK's leader Kim Jong-il within this year.
His bold statement was particularly surprising to many, as the president, often described as a hard-line conservative who has seen inter-Korean ties rapidly sour since taking office two years ago, is nothing like his liberal predecessor who forged warm ties with the DPRK for the past decade often at the cost of being branded "leftists."
Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, Lee's predecessors who adopted engagement policies toward the DPRK, held summits with Kim Jong-il in 2000 and 2007 respectively, which resulted in some major joint projects hailed by doves for their symbolic value and upbraided by hawks for being sources of hard cash for the DPRK.
Apparent attempts by the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae to play down the president's remark as a reiteration of the government's principle has not quite worked, as speculation continues to build up.
Media speculation here and abroad goes as far as to suggest that discussions between the two Koreas, whose currently murky relations lead observers to jump from one guess to another, on holding a summit made significant progress last year but negotiations hit a snag over agendas of the summit.
Local media are seen to be implying that holding a summit is just a matter of when now, with Seoul's Yonhap News Agency reporting that the meeting, if held, would take place in March or April considering apparent peace overtures from the DPRK, or after local elections in early June in order to avoid potential charges that a summit is politically motivated.
It is against this backdrop where comments by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on a summit came, immediately spurring much guesswork.
The senior diplomat, who paid a three-day visit to Seoul, recently said Pyongyang's return to the halted nuclear talks should be the "essential next step" when asked about the U.S. stance on the issue.
While Campbell also expressed support for the South Korean government's efforts for a summit, his remarks were interpreted by many in Seoul to mean Washington is hoping the DPRK to come back to the six-party talks, multilateral nuclear negotiations involving the two Koreas, China, the U.S., Japan and Russia, before meeting with the South Korean leader.
Campbell also stressed there should be "no distraction" in efforts to bring the DPRK back to the six-way talks, which local media say might be in line with the U.S. stance that the resumption of the stalled talks, not an inter-Korean summit, is the first priority.
After meeting with Hyun In-taek, Seoul's point man on the DPRK, Campbell said they agreed to seek both an inter-Korean summit and Pyongyang's return to the nuclear talks, but that Seoul and Washington must fine-tune their stances on those issues, a remark which local media quickly seized upon.
After Campbell's remarks rattled home, senior officials in Seoul made comments on the subject, while presidential secretary Kim Tae-hyo was dispatched to Washington in what local media called a possible sign of difficulties in fine-tuning the two sides' stances. — Xinhua
Despite fledgling hopes here for a summit between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the country is now left to try to decipher a senior U.S. official's remarks, speculated to be hinting at subtle differences in the US stance on an inter-Korean summit.
Media frenzy in Seoul on a possible inter-Korean summit was sparked by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's comment in a recent interview with the British public broadcaster BBC, where he said he might be able to meet with the DPRK's leader Kim Jong-il within this year.
His bold statement was particularly surprising to many, as the president, often described as a hard-line conservative who has seen inter-Korean ties rapidly sour since taking office two years ago, is nothing like his liberal predecessor who forged warm ties with the DPRK for the past decade often at the cost of being branded "leftists."
Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, Lee's predecessors who adopted engagement policies toward the DPRK, held summits with Kim Jong-il in 2000 and 2007 respectively, which resulted in some major joint projects hailed by doves for their symbolic value and upbraided by hawks for being sources of hard cash for the DPRK.
Apparent attempts by the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae to play down the president's remark as a reiteration of the government's principle has not quite worked, as speculation continues to build up.
Media speculation here and abroad goes as far as to suggest that discussions between the two Koreas, whose currently murky relations lead observers to jump from one guess to another, on holding a summit made significant progress last year but negotiations hit a snag over agendas of the summit.
Local media are seen to be implying that holding a summit is just a matter of when now, with Seoul's Yonhap News Agency reporting that the meeting, if held, would take place in March or April considering apparent peace overtures from the DPRK, or after local elections in early June in order to avoid potential charges that a summit is politically motivated.
It is against this backdrop where comments by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on a summit came, immediately spurring much guesswork.
The senior diplomat, who paid a three-day visit to Seoul, recently said Pyongyang's return to the halted nuclear talks should be the "essential next step" when asked about the U.S. stance on the issue.
While Campbell also expressed support for the South Korean government's efforts for a summit, his remarks were interpreted by many in Seoul to mean Washington is hoping the DPRK to come back to the six-party talks, multilateral nuclear negotiations involving the two Koreas, China, the U.S., Japan and Russia, before meeting with the South Korean leader.
Campbell also stressed there should be "no distraction" in efforts to bring the DPRK back to the six-way talks, which local media say might be in line with the U.S. stance that the resumption of the stalled talks, not an inter-Korean summit, is the first priority.
After meeting with Hyun In-taek, Seoul's point man on the DPRK, Campbell said they agreed to seek both an inter-Korean summit and Pyongyang's return to the nuclear talks, but that Seoul and Washington must fine-tune their stances on those issues, a remark which local media quickly seized upon.
After Campbell's remarks rattled home, senior officials in Seoul made comments on the subject, while presidential secretary Kim Tae-hyo was dispatched to Washington in what local media called a possible sign of difficulties in fine-tuning the two sides' stances. — Xinhua