| | | | |
| April 13, 2000 | atimes.com | ||
|  | The Koreas Summit announcement wins over undecided voters By Ahn Mi-Young SEOUL - ''For me, what could be better news than something that can achieve a family reunion between two Koreas,'' beamed 74-year-old South Korean Yo Suk-chang. Yo left his wife, daughter and younger brother behind when he crossed over to the south during the 1950-1953 Korean War. He and millions of other South Koreans with families in the north are among those who welcome the announcement on Monday of a summit between leaders of the divided Korea. But the surprise announcement of a historic meeting between the 75-year-old President Kim Dae-jung and his 58-year old reclusive North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-il on June 12-14 came as a stunning blow to the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP). It was the timing of the announcement which GNP deplores, accusing Kim of using it as a ploy to boost the chances of his Millennium Democratic Party's (MDP) candidates in parliamentary elections on Thursday. The opposition GNP was reported to be leading the ruling party by a slim margin in the hotly-contested April 13 National Assembly elections. The two rival parties have been courting about 30-40 percent of the 33.48 million voters who up till last weekend were still undecided on who to vote into office. Election watchers here say that the summit announcement is likely to have tipped the scales in favor of Kim's MDP as the MDP may have won over larger numbers of undecided voters, particularly some 7.6 million South Koreans who have relatives in North Korea. Many of these 7.6 million South Koreans live in politically neutral Seoul and surrounding Kyonggi Province, which together hold about 48 percent of the total 227 electoral districts. GNP leader Lee Hoi-chang, who might have welcomed the summit if not for its implications on Thursday's elections, is thus making a reverse campaign pitch. He is trying to convince voters that the summit may not be such a good idea as this could lead to the pullout of the 37,000 American soldiers stationed in South Korea or to massive economic aid to the North at the expense of South Koreans. A major non-government organization is also upset with the timing of the announcement, which is certain to influence results of the elections. The polls are considered a referendum on President Kim's 26 months in office, during which he pushed painful reforms which have cost him his popularity at home. ''We also welcome the summit itself,'' said the spokesman of the Citizens' Alliance for the 2000 General Elections, a coalition of some 450 civic groups, which is waging a campaign against parliamentary candidates it thinks ''unfit and incompetent'' to hold office.''But there must be something wrong with its timing which is only three days away from the election day.'' A poll conducted by Research & Research on Monday showed that 91 percent of the respondents approved of the summit, and 62 percent of the 1,000 South Koreans surveyed by phone said the June meeting could mark the start of a path that would reunite two nations torn apart by ideological rivalries. The two Koreas are technically still at war because of the absence of a peace agreement after the end of the war. In 1994, North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, the father of Kim Jong-il, and then South Korean president Kim Young-Sam were scheduled to hold a summit but the Northern leader died about a month before the date. It was Kim Dae-jung's ''sunshine'' policy of constructively engaging Pyongyang that has broken the ice between the two governments which have been suspicious of each other's moves. Despite Seoul's peace initiative, North Korea has in fact preferred to deal with the United States and Japan. And although South Korean officials were secretly negotiating with Pyongyang, they were also surprised that Kim Jong-il promptly agreed to hold the summit. North Korea watchers here can only guess what's on the mind of the North Korean leader. One says that Pyongyang must have finally realized that only its southern neighbor can help it out of its isolation and financial troubles. It could be the confidence of Kim Jong-il, said another watcher, as there are signs the North Korean economy is wriggling out of the worst. Last year, it grew slightly on the back of a 40 percent increase in its grain production, said the central Bank of Korea, although North Korea's per capita income in 1998 amounted to only $573 against $6,823 in South Korea. Also Pyongyang must have been convinced that it must talk to Seoul now while President Kim Dae-jung is still at the helm. Kim, North Koreans believe, is the most progressive, generous partner they can hope to have. ''And thus the North thinks that they must boost his fortunes in the coming elections, as the failure to become the number one party could force him to step back from the engagement policy,'' said Kim Kyong-won who heads the Institute of Social Science. But amid the euphoria is an awareness of the realities. Lee Han-dong, who leads the splinter opposition United Democratic Party, says that Seoul's quick-fix scramble to hold the summit could leave the nation with economic problems. It also served to unduly raise the profile of the North Korean leader. There are many hurdles left that may abort the summit itself, say some critics, who cite Pyongyang's history of dragging its feet and making excessive demands as preconditions for talks. Ironically, it was June 12-14 last year when the South Korean Navy was celebrating the defeat of the North Korean navy's attempt to penetrate the icy waters, ''This year we smell a strong chance of repeating the skirmish,'' said a navy officer who guards the Yongpyong western coast. What will they do if that happens while President Kim Dae-jung is in Pyongyang for the summit? ''We will defend our sea territory to our death regardless of the summit. It is our obligation to do so.'' (Inter Press Service) | |||||||||
 |
