LEE MYUNG-BAK, the South Korean president, has attempted to open a new diplomatic front with North Korea, proposing talks on reducing troops and weapons along the world’s most heavily armed border.
North-South relations have deteriorated drastically since Mr Lee became president last year as the conservative leader has tied provision of aid to Pyongyang’s co-operation on denuclearisation. This shift from his predecessors’ unconditional approach has unleashed a stream of vitriol from the North.
North Korea is often quick to reject initiatives but over the weekend focused its rhetoric on attacking UN sanctions and US-South Korean military exercises that begin today.
In a weekend independence day address, Mr Lee said: “If the North and South reduce conventional weapons and troops, massive resources can be redirected into improving both economies.”
Any troop reduction or decommissioning of weapons would come as a big surprise to the global arms industry. Jane’s Defence Weekly last year put South Korea at number three on its list of “golden markets”.
The Koreas are divided by a heavily mined border where more than one million troops are deployed. Almost 30,000 US troops are in the South.
“How can we possibly talk about reconciliation and co-operation when we have millions of weapons aimed at each other on trigger alert?” Mr Lee asked.
Mr Lee reiterated that the ultimate goal of any negotiations should be decommissioning Pyongyang’s atomic warheads.
Although the South has vowed to pour money into infrastructure projects in the North if it gives up nuclear arms, Pyongyang rejects such incentives as an attempt to undermine its national security.
Since Pyongyang has flatly rejected negotiations predicated on it giving up nuclear arms, the proposal could offer more pragmatic grounds for initial engagement.
Mr Lee’s proposal comes amid signs that North Korea is entering a period of bargaining after months of sabre rattling, in which Pyongyang fired a missile over Japan and detonated an atomic warhead.
Hyun Jeong-eun, chairwoman of Hyundai Group, has spent seven days in talks in North Korea, staying on after securing the release of one of her employees detained there. – (Copyright The Financial Times 2009)