South Korea will forge ahead with its engagment of North Korea despite the ouster of Seoul's minister in charge of relations with the North, Foreign Minister Han Seung-soo said yesterday.
Han told reporters a day after the Cabinet resigned en masse over a no-confidence vote against Unification Minister Lim Dong-won that President Kim Dae-jung would push ahead with his centerpiece reconciliation policy "without any interruptions."
"This is the policy supported not only by the people of the world, but most of the people in South Korea," he said.
Han told a news conference he interpreted a recent offer by North Korea to resume stalled talks with the South in a "reconciliatory way" and believed Chinese President Jiang Zemin's (江澤民) visit to Pyongyang this week would support Korean reconciliation.
He also took Japan to task for a "regressive attitude" toward its 1910 to 1945 colonial rule over Korea, urging Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to use his popularity to settle Tokyo's spats with its Asian neighbors over history.
Han and the rest of Kim Dae-jung's Cabinet tendered their resignations on Tuesday following a vote the day before in which the National Assembly passed an opposition motion to dismiss Lim. Kim was expected to name a new Cabinet this week, retaining Han.
The vote followed Lim's approval of a visit last month to Pyongyang by South Korean activists.
Critics said the Pyongyang incident symbolized the failure of Lim's "sunshine" policy of engaging North Korea. But Han challenged those who ousted Lim. "If you ask the skeptics what are the alternatives, they will not give you answers," he said.Han admitted that Kim would face constraints with a minority government after the defection of a conservative coalition partner over the no-confidence motion.
With nationwide local elections in June and a presidential election in December, the government would strive to "insulate the issue of reconciliation with North Korea from mundane internal domestic political squabbles," Han said.
Han said Pyongyang's offer on Sunday to hold talks with Seoul was a sign it was ready to resume contacts frozen since March.
"I don't know their real motives, but I think that it's about time that North Korea will think seriously about resuming the talks with South Korea," Han said. The Unification Ministry has said Seoul would respond favorably to the offer. He said Seoul saw encouraging signs in Kim Jong-il's visit to Russia in August and his summit in Pyongyang with Jiang this week. Both Moscow and Beijing have backed Korean reconciliation.
Asked about China's suggestions it supported the idea of inviting Kim Jong-il to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit next month in Shanghai, Han said, "I don't think we have been approached by China on the possibility of an invitation."
But with Kim Jong-il holding back on a pledge to visit Seoul to reciprocate Kim Dae-jung's historic trip to Pyongyang in June of last year, Han said South Korea would "strongly oppose" any attempt to substitute a Shanghai meeting for a Seoul summit.
On the makeup of the new Cabinet, aides said yesterday that Kim Dae-Jung wants a drastically different ruling alliance following the coalition government's collapse.
The president held talks with the chairman of his ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), Kim Joong-Kwon, sparking speculation a new cabinet would be named to replace the 22 ministers who resigned Tuesday.
But presidential spokesman Park Joon-Young said the reshuffle would affect the cabinet as well as senior presidential staff and top ruling party posts.
Senior government officials said no new cabinet may be announced before Friday as consultations go ahead.
Han acknowledged that Kim would face constraints with a minority government after the defection of a conservative coalition partner over the no-confidence motion.
Han said Pyongyang's offer on Sunday to hold talks with Seoul was a sign it was ready to resume contacts frozen since March.
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