South Korea Opposition Emerges - A shrewd South Korean opposition leader is headed for Beijing…

theOneRepublic Journal ^ | 5/31/05 | Col. Gordon Cucullu

[ParsifalCA]

In a move that demonstrates that the South Korean opposition Grand National Party (GNP) is comfortable flexing its international muscles, dynamic GNP leader Park Geun Hye announced an official trip to the Peoples Republic of China. This could be a dramatic new development in unraveling the Gordian knot of North Korean nuclear negotiations that have been stalled by convoluted machinations by all sides. Till now South Korean spokesmen came mostly from President Roh Moo Hyun’s hard left-leaning Uri Party. Recall that Roh, as was his predecessor Kim Dae Jung, is a born-again appeaser who is willing to cut any possible deal with the rapacious regime of Kim Jong Il rather than have to face difficult, courageous decisions. Conversely, GNP leadership is approaching the issue from an entirely different point of view, demanding accountability and responsibility from North Korea.

It is appropriate that America focuses some attention on Ms Park. She is a substantive leader beginning to make her presence felt on a world stage. She is drawing significant attention in the gray, inward-looking world of Korean Peninsula politics. Surprising Westerners, Ms Park is a serious contender for the presidency in a male dominated culture. Be advised that Ms Park is no neophyte in dealing with difficult issues. As a fifty-something, extraordinarily bright, attractive daughter of the late military leader of South Korea, Park Chung Hee, she has undergone a rough initiation into the often violent world of North-South confrontation...

[conshack]

Excellent article. I live here in Seoul, South Korea and follow the political moves the Korean government makes. This article does a good job of explaining the appeasement the current an previous administrations have done regarding the north. It goes against the grain of GW's tough stance with the North. It is evident that GW's administration is not happy with how the S Koreans continue to cow to the North's demands for aid. As long as the South continues to give large amounts of aid to the North, the North has no real reason to come back to the bargaining table.