DATE=6/16/2000
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
TITLE=REFLECTIONS ON THE KOREAN SUMMIT
NUMBER=6-11879
BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
TELEPHONE=619-3335
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
[EDITORS: DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE KOREAN
SUMMIT, THIS E X T R A OPINION ROUNDUP WITH FRESH,
F R I D A Y EDITORIALS ASSESSING WHAT WAS
ACCOMPLISHED, IS BEING TRANSMITTED IN ADDITION TO U-S
OPINION ROUNDUP 6-11878 ON PUTIN AND THE PRESS]
INTRO: The historic Korean peninsula summit is over,
but the memory of this watershed event lingers on in
the U-S press. The nation's daily papers are assuming
a cautious stance toward the possibility of a peaceful
thaw between two of the world's most hostile and
militarized nations.
The event is being seen by some however, as nothing
less than the beginning of the end to the Cold War's
final chapter. We get a sample of American media
commentary from ____________ in today's U-S Editorial
Digest.
TEXT: With the summit now over, newspapers around the
country are trying to place what went on in some kind
of perspective against the more than 50 years of
extreme hostility between the two Koreas.
Many are enthusiastic at the prospect of improved
relations between Pyongyang and Seoul, but more than a
few remind readers that: "the proof of the pudding is
in the eating," that is, the actions of the two
nations in the weeks and months ahead will bear out
the real fruit, if there is any, of the conference.
In Baltimore, The Sun is pleased, but also cautious.
VOICE: The summit ... exceeded expectations in
atmospherics if not specifics. Peace is not at
hand but is suddenly imaginable. No problem has
been solved but all may become soluble. ...
This is a time for testing Kim Jong Il's
intentions, not taking goodness for granted. No
lowering of our guard can precede the building
of confidence. After the half-century of North
Korea's extreme hostility to the outer world,
much remains to be proven. At least the process
has begun.
TEXT: The nation's number one business daily, The
Wall Street Journal has an interesting look back at
the change in Pyongyang's policy.
VOICE: /// OPT /// A rare and elusive beast was
briefly sighted on the Korean Peninsula this
week: peace. The world watched as two men named
Kim pledged to work for reunification of the two
Koreas, an achievement that has eluded countless
other Kims for half a century. /// END OPT ///
How to proceed from here? ... Much remains to
be seen. Business ties, likely to be small at
first, will have only a limited impact unless
they spark a wider change that allows North
Koreans to start their own enterprises. Such a
change would be the true litmus test of whether
North Korea is becoming a more responsible
regime, rather than simply hitting up the
outside world for benefits. .... Recall that
just a few years ago, when the U-S was seeking
to engage North Korea and the South was
maintaining a relatively hard line, Pyongyang
was all for dealing with the U-S rather than its
"puppets" in Seoul. Now the roles of the two
allies are reversed, but the game is the same.
North Korea seeks to gain advantage from whoever
is prepared to engage it, and it seeks to play
the two off against each other. ... actions
still speak louder than words. ... There is
ample reason for skepticism.
TEXT: The Washington Post sees a potential dilemma as
relations begin to improve.
VOICE: Any effort to "engage" a militarily
aggressive totalitarian regime faces a dilemma.
Summitry and trade may moderate such a regime,
but they also may legitimize and sustain it.
South Korean President Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine
policy" toward North Korea and the Clinton
administration's effort to coax North Korea to
give up its weapons of mass destruction pose
such a dilemma. ... The good mood generated by
the summit is real, and welcome. At some point,
however, Kim Jong Il must deliver more than just
smiles.
TEXT: Specifics is what interests the Los Angeles
Times, among others, as it waits to see how the
summit's communique will be implemented.
VOICE: ... There may be a chance for a
continuing dialogue that could ease tensions and
the threat of conflict. How real that
opportunity is will become clear soon. One of
the few specifics in the vaguely worded
declaration signed in Pyongyang ... says the two
sides "will exchange groups of dispersed family
members" around August 15th. Once or twice in
the past the North permitted brief meetings
among a handful of war-separated relatives.
Seoul estimates there are one-point eight
million such families, and for South Koreans the
prospect of family reunions is the greatest gift
their president could have brought home. The
test will come in how extensively North Korea
allows the pledge of reunion to be carried out.
TEXT: In a less skeptical assessment, The Atlanta
Constitution focuses on the tenor of the meeting,
which it describes as:
VOICE: Astonishing is the word for the warm and
tumultuous welcome South Korean President Kim
Dae-jung received this week from thousands of
cheering North Koreans and their communist
overlord Kim Jong Il. It was as if everyone
involved decided not to let harsh realities - -
such as the explosive border the Koreas share
and half a century of near-war - - get in the
way of a joyous family get-together. ... What
the two Kims agreed upon is vague but promising.
TEXT: Minnesota's St. Paul Pioneer Press says even
though the "talk of reunification [is] vague," it
calls the comments hopeful, and reminds readers: " in
the diplomatic business, symbol sometimes i s
substance." Out in the Pacific, Honolulu's Star-
Bulletin says the "Korean agreement offers hope for
... peace and reunification," then adds this caveat.
VOICE: There is always a possibility that the
unpredictable regime in Pyongyang will revert to
provocative behavior, as it has many times. But
for the moment at least there is reason for
optimism.
TEXT: The Hartford [Connecticut] Courant calls the
summit "remarkable," while in the computer industry
heartland of California, The San Jose Mercury News
says it was a: "Korean triumph," adding emphatically:
"Without reserve, the world this week is cheering the
historic Korean summit and its astonishing progress.
New Jersey papers are also pleased. The [Trenton]
Times writes: "The two met this week as if they were
long-lost friends and not the leaders of countries
that had been vilifying each other for decades. ...
Their mutual enthusiasm was as encouraging as it was
unexpected." And in the state's northeastern, New
York City suburbs, The [Bergen County] Record calls
the "breakthrough" summit "truly encouraging, adding:
VOICE: Similar efforts at a thaw between the
two governments have failed twice before, but
this time the obvious enthusiasm of both leaders
should pave the way for real progress. The
world community, including the United States,
should be strongly supportive.
TEXT: With that we conclude this sampling of U-S
newspaper editorial comment after the conclusion of
[the] [this week's] historic two Koreas summit.
NEB/ANG/PW
16-Jun-2000 15:40 PM EDT (16-Jun-2000 1940 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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