Statement to the Nation by President Kim Dae-jung
2003-02-14
My fellow citizens,
I pray once again for the happiness of the people in the New Year.
What I have wanted most was to leave office at the end of my tenure on a happy note. Lots of people expressed such an expectation. However, the latest controversial debate over the issue of remittance to North Korea by the Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. has unnerved the people. I am extremely sorry. For my part, too, I feel wretched and am in pain.
When the issue recently became a full-blown controversy, I thought that it was not desirable to press for a legal investigation into the matter. In the same vein, the Board of Audit and Inspection and the prosecution decided to put any legal proceedings on hold.
Yet, the debate over the issue has persisted, confusing the people.
I am now compelled to brief the public on this matter and have come to believe that it behooves me to seek public understanding and cooperation.
Fellow citizens,
In the course of pushing for inter-Korean economic cooperation, the Government received cooperation from the Hyundai Group, which has had a lot of contacts with the North Korean authorities. In return for its remittances to the North, Hyundai obtained seven major projects, including construction of roads, electric power plants, communications and tourism facilities and the Kaesong industrial complex. The Government accommodated this, even though there were some legal problems, because it judged that such projects would be helpful for peace and in the national interest.
However, now that the matter has become an open issue, I believe that the Government has to clarify the truth, and, as President, I should be held responsible for all the consequences. I will take the responsibility. Again, I only feel sorry for causing public concern.
Fellow citizens,
The Sunshine Policy attracted some criticism, but it, indeed, led to various achievements. Above all, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been greatly eased. The reduction in tensions contributed to the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup and Busan Asian Games and to national development by attracting foreign investments, which amount to 2.5 times the aggregate total over the last 50 years. Korean corporations and the people have felt secure and could run their businesses as usual.
Meantime, North Korea has begun to accept a market economy, and the North Korean people have been slowly changing their perception of people in the South in favor of understanding and envy away from hostility and hate. We felt that vividly during the Busan Asian Games.
Recently, after a 58-year hiatus, we resumed tourist travel to the North by land across the Military Demarcation Line. We are laying a foundation to help change the North Korean economy and bring it into the larger sphere of the South Korean economy through construction of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the South-North Railway.
Fellow Koreans,
According to our law, the North Korean regime is an anti-state entity. Cooperation with it is subject to stern punishment in accordance with the National Security Law. But, based on a national consensus, we are pursuing reconciliation and cooperation with the North while maintaining a strong security stance. Because of the dual nature of South-North relations and because the North is so closed, there are times when inter-Korean relations inevitably have to be dealt with covertly and outside the framework of our laws. This kind of relationship can be found in the historic ties between East and West Germany.
The current case arose from the fervent desire to prevent war under any circumstance and assure peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula so we could go about living peacefully with the hope of achieving reunification eventually.
I will assume responsibility for the incident currently in question. I only hope that the nation will understand that it was motivated by my earnest desire to realize peace and the national interests. I also hope that the nation will cooperate with a magnanimous heart not to damage this opportunity that we have not had in a long time to reduce tensions with the North and promote national development.
I also appeal to the politicians in both the ruling and opposition camps. The issue of the North's nuclear program is becoming serious and tension is rising on the peninsula. War in Iraq, which will have a great impact on us, seems to be imminent. Today, I am making public as detailed an explanation as possible on this issue and hope those of you in politics will make a special political decision considering our national interests. The future of South-North relations and significant national welfare rest on your decisions.
Again, I am sorry to the nation for causing concern and at the same time I ask for your patriotic judgment and understanding on this issue. The destiny of the nation awaits the wise, determined decision of all Koreans.
Thank you.
source : www.cwd.go.kr
