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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