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South Korean president and opposition leader discuss summit |
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April 25, 2000 SEOUL, APR 24 (AP) - In a rare gesture of conciliation, President Kim Dae-jung and South Korea's top opposition leader met Monday and agreed to cooperate on ensuring the success of a summit with North Korea.
The luncheon meeting between Kim and Lee Hoi-chang, head of the main opposition Grand National Party, was unusual because they have long been political foes. Lee lost to Kim in 1997 presidential elections by a razor-thin margin.
Shortly before April 13 parliamentary elections, Kim's government announced plans for a June summit with Kim Jong Il, leader of communist North Korea. Lee had accused Kim of timing the announcement to win votes, a charge the government denied.
There was no squabbling Monday in the third meeting between the two men since Kim took office. The previous meetings failed to stem accusations between the government and opposition camps.
"We welcome the South-North summit and hope that it will serve as an opportunity to promote peace on the Korean peninsula and reconciliation between the two sides," read a joint statement issued by the two leaders.
Kim's ruling Millennium Democratic Party failed to win a plurality in the April elections, emerging with 115 seats compared to 133 seats for the Grand National Party.
Ahead of the inter-Korea summit, Kim was compelled to seek cooperation from the main opposition party, which represents a strong conservative voice in anti-communist South Korea.
South Korea's conservative groups say the Kim government has been too soft on North Korea's communist government and given it too much economic aid.
Apparently mindful of such criticism, Kim agreed in Monday's meeting with the opposition leader that he will not make one-sided concessions to North Korea.
"In pushing economic cooperation, the principle of reciprocity will be upheld and any projects which will impose burdens on taxpayers will be subject to approval by the National Assembly," the statement said.
The agreement could restrict the South Korean president's negotiating position in the summit with Kim Jong Il.
Also on Monday, North Korea reiterated its long-standing demand that the United States withdraw its troops from South Korea, saying its presence hinders dialogue between two Koreas.
"The United States should adopt a decision to withdraw the U.S. troops" whose stationing is a stumbling block in the way of reunification of Korea, said a commentary in Rodong Sinmun, an official party newspaper.
The commentary was carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the North's overseas news outlet.
The United States, which fought on the South Korean side during the 1950-53 Korean War, keeps 37,000 troops in the South under a defense treaty.
In March, the South Korean president offered massive investment to build roads, rail lines, power plants and other infrastructure in the impoverished North.
South Korean officials believe North Korea was driven to agree to the summit because of severe food and energy shortages. Hundreds of thousands of people have died of hunger in recent years in the North.
The Koreas, which were divided at the end of World War II, agreed to hold a summit in 1994. That summit was canceled because of the sudden death of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung.
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