DATE=4/11/2000 TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP TITLE=NORTH - SOUTH KOREA SUMMIT NUMBER=6-11769 BYLINE=ERIKA EVANS DATELINE=WASHINGTON EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS TELEPHONE=619-2702 CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: The leaders of North and South Korea have agreed to meet for the first time, marking a major step forward in relations between the two nations that technically remain at war. Several U-S editorial writers are engaged in discussion about the historic meeting. We get a sampling from ______________ in today's U-S Opinion Roundup. TEXT: South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung is expected to travel to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, for a 3-day summit with his counterpart, President Kim Jong-il. The June meeting will be the first between the two rival Korean states since the division of their peninsula into the communist North and the capitalist South in 1945. When the Korean War ended in 1953, the two countries agreed to a truce, but never signed a permanent peace treaty. Today, they share a heavily fortified border and thousands of U-S soldiers remain based in South Korea to guard against any threat from the North. U-S editorial columns are supporting the notion that better communication between the leaders can improve regional stability. Several writers are offering opinions on the obstacles to a lasting peace in the divided nation. The New York Times believes if the June meetings proceed as planned, they could start a belated but hopeful thaw in relations between the two Koreas. VOICE: Since (Mr.) Kim Dae-Jung was elected South Korea's president in 1997, he has courted new business, tourist and humanitarian ties with the North. His "sunshine policy" has tried to couple continued military vigilance with new openings aimed at encouraging more predictable, less dangerous relations across the 38th Parallel. The announcement of the June meetings, to take place in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, confirms the wisdom of Seoul's approach. ...The North's agreement to these meetings seems to demonstrate that (Mr.) Kim Jong-Il is now firmly in charge of North Korea and inclined to reach out diplomatically to the wider world. ...Though political developments inside North Korea remain largely opaque, this spurt of diplomatic activity must be considered encouraging. TEXT: The Los Angeles Times agrees that the summit is a positive first step. VOICE: South Korea's president sees the promotion of cultural, humanitarian, and, most important, trade and economic ties as the best way to ease tensions and lay the groundwork for eventual reunification of the peninsula. But for this policy to work, North Korea's Kim Jong-Il must renounce his policy of hostility and show the same determination as his counterpart. ...Still, President Clinton was right in welcoming the announcement of the June summit and in encouraging direct contact between the leaders of the two Koreas. Many things can go wrong before then, and even if the meeting does take place it is likely to be largely symbolic. It is a significant first step nonetheless. TEXT: The Chicago Tribune says Washington's concerns over North Korea's missile and nuclear programs are all the more reason to commend the move toward mutual reconciliation. VOICE: By any measure, that is not just good news. It is historic news. And if it comes to pass, it marks one more tangible sign that the reclusive, Stalinist regime in North Korea is ready to open its iron gates a little wider to a possible rapprochement with South Korea and to improving ties with the international community. This will be neither a quick nor sure thing. ...Critics have complained, not without cause, that President Clinton has rewarded North Korea periodically for defusing crises that Pyongyang created to begin with by behavior such as test-firing a missile over Japan in 1998. But the critics' only alternative - taking an unremittingly hard line towards North Korea - offers virtually no prospect of improving its behavior. The U-S and its allies are taking a calculated risk by negotiating with the North to persuade its nuclear and missile threats. If North Korea complies, it would be reasonable for the West to start normalizing relations. The summit is an auspicious start. TEXT: USA Today warns despite the positive implications of the North-South summit, only real change in Pyongyang should trigger a softer U-S stance. VOICE: If the threat of war can be lessened, the U-S military could begin to pull back, freeing resources to face newer threats emerging in Asia and elsewhere. Or it could shrink, freeing money for other needs. So there is every reason to greet with optimism and relief Monday's announcement that North and South Korea's presidents will meet... But there is every reason, too, not to assume too much too soon. North Korean leaders have a history of making promises, getting concessions, then writhing free. // OPT // After gaining international prestige by signing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, North Korea restarted its weapons program in 1994. After securing a 1994 fuel-and-aid deal in exchange for suspending its nuclear program a second time, North Korea accelerated its ballistic missile program. // END OPT // ...There is a chance that (North Korean President Kim Jong-Il) Kim intends to soften his hard line and take steps toward peaceful reunification. But easing sanctions or otherwise granting concessions before Kim delivers actual results would be a mistake. TEXT: And lastly, the San Jose Mercury News in California has this to say: VOICE: Two generations have grown up knowing only of the hostility and separation between the two Koreas. ...Reconciliation would be yet another triumph for the remarkable (South Korean President) Kim Dae-Jung, the former political prisoner who has pushed through broad reforms and kept his country from economic collapse since taking office two-years ago. For (North Korean President) Kim Long-il, Emerging from isolation could mean the difference between starvation and survival for his suffering people. North Korea's agreement to talk is a sign of hope that the odds are finally tilting toward survival. TEXT: With that comment from the San Jose Mercury News, we conclude this sampling of U-S press reaction to the North-South Korea Summit planned for June. NEB/ENE/RAE 11-Apr-2000 14:39 PM EDT (11-Apr-2000 1839 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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