Roh Says He Doesn't Want to See NK to Collapse

Scoop (New Zealand) ^ | 07 Oct 03

[OahuBreeze]

BALI, Indonesia - President Roh Moo-hyun said Tuesday that he doesn’t want to see North Korea collapse and that is one of key principles of his administration in dealing with Pyongyang.

“We aim to co-exist with North Korea rather than absorbing it or pushing it to collapse and the primary means of inter-Korean co-existence is dialogue,” Roh said in a speech at the morning session of the ASEAN Plus Three summit on corporate investment.

He said it is true that some South Koreans believe that Pyongyang is untrustworthy and that the best way of dealing with it is confrontation that will in due process trigger the collapse of the regime.

“However, I intend to follow the ¡®sunshine’ policy of engaging North Korea introduced by my predecessor Kim Dae-jung to achieve a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula through dialogue,” he said.

Referring to the North Korean nuclear standoff, he praised China’s role, expressing his hope that it will play the same role as it did in the lead up to the first round of six-way talks to realize a second round.

“I hope that China will be successful once again in helping both North Korea and the United States take a step back in compromise,” he said.

[OahuBreeze]

Rut-roh! He's at it, again. Well, at least he's honest about his intentions -- forestall quick reunification because it will temporarily weaken the SK economy, and let the 22 million Korean brothers and sisters in the North continue to suffer and die for a few more decades under a regime that outdoes Orwell's worst nightmare. Probably not welcome news to the North Korean people (not like they get to read a real newspaper, anwyay...) -- another era of "lasting peace" that is. Personally, if I had that kind of lasting peace, I'd be searching hard for a weapon to secure my familiy's exit to some somewhere other than the ROK.

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[OahuBreeze]

PING

[AntiGuv]

Huh? "Temporarily weaken" hell - more like virtually collapse.. North Korea will require some $100 billion just to begin getting integrated with the South..

[OahuBreeze]

I really love that line, too, about how "some South Korean's believe that Pyongyang is untrustworty." Well, I wonder where he got an idea like that??? -- could it be breaking the nuclear deal, threatening to turn Seoul into a "sea of fire", peddling illegal narcotics worldwide, kidnapping other country's citizens (which at least the Japanese have the honor to raise as an issue), killing six sailors last year with a broadside when they tried to warn the NK's to get back on their side of the Military Demarcation Line, conducting numerous guerillas raids on the South Korean coastline and murdering numerous citizens in the process, trying several times to assassinate SK presidents, killing one's wife and the other's cabinet in the process, blowing up KAL 858 in 1987, killing all aboard, because they were jealous of SK getting the 88 Olympics.... Yeah, Comrade Roh is right; these damn conservatives are so paranoid -- sunshine is the obvious answer....

...duh....

[July 4th]

hahaha... I think it was the "sea of fire" part.

[OahuBreeze]

With all the international aid Pyongyang's extorting from the intl community now though, do you really think they're going to leave SK hanging to pick up the bill when there's a reliable channel for assuring stability on the peninsula -- we've dumped a lot of money focused on the wacky Kim regime threat -- that money's a lot better focused on positive operations -- take Kim out and we can get started -- leave Kim in and he keeps funneling our aid to his military (consequently increasing our costs to meet it).

[AntiGuv]

Sure, that's all fine and good, but that doesn't resolve the matter of South Korea's willingness or capability to undertake the task. Germany is still buckling under the endeavor of integrating the former East, despite a far wealthier economy - on both sides - and the full weight of the European Union behind it.

[maro]

Unfortunately, I doubt there are that many NK people left.

[OahuBreeze]

Okay, I'll conceded my "temporary setback..." as propaganda.... I just get so damn aggravated at the "unwillingess" aspect of it and the SK rhetoric to the opposite. It is a problem. But I don't see the answer in propping up the Juche-fruit regime, which will just continue to siphon money into the megalomanaic military, practice bizarre economic policies to push the country further to ruin, continue to kill of the populace, and threaten SK and other countries through direct military action or proliferation of WMD, narcotics, missiles, etc. Make somebody rich on the inside and get a moderate regime going there.

[Constantine XIII]

Ugh! Roh is dumber than a bag of hammers. *grrrr*

[OahuBreeze]

German Doctor Vollertsen dropped some ominous suggestion in a press release, that someday, after the NK people achieve freedom, a list will come out of SK collaborators.....

[Chu Gary]

After the dismantling of the "wall" in Germany, the former West Germany's residents had bitter feeling for years due to the cheap labor available in the East which gobbled up a LOT of jobs because they would work for schnitzels. The people from the East had poor work ethics, very low skills, etc. but they got all the jobs.

The SK folks have good reasons for wanting things to stay as they now exist.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

And we have 37,000 United States soldiers, airmen and a handful of Marines and sailors in the Republic of Korea, unavailable to participate in the War on Terror because they are hostages to the status quo. But not for much longer.

[xm177e2]

This shouldn't be at all surprising. SK leftists have always acted like they wanted the NK regime to remain in place.

[OahuBreeze]

Exactly.... Do we really want to put ourselves in a position to sign a "security agreement" with the DPRK for the assure the longevity of the Kim regime?? -- a criminal regime which tells its people it's good to starve for the dear leader while he sips imported cognac and cavorts with his little pleasure team of local and imported women in Pyongyang. Granted, we had to cut some deals with some less-than-desireable regimes during the Cold War for what we perceived to be the greater good -- but to cut a deal with this bizarre little terrorist regime which is slaughtering and torturing its own people and proliferating weapons to the highest bidder, just out of concern for another country's economic concerns (a country where the current president rode to power on a wave of anti-American sentiment, with such noteable quotes as, "So what if I am anti-American?") does not make any sense. Why is President Roh praising China for its role as a mediator in "helping both North Korea and the United States take a step back in compromise"? Is he saying that the heroes of Tienammen are a moderating force to help us calm down and rationally examine the situation. Is he equating the govt of the US, his ally, with Pyongyang, and reveling in his role, with China, as the wise man on the mountain (forgive me if I'm missing something here, but isn't NK's ultimate goal to undermine the SOUTH KOREAN government, through subversion and/or military force, to occupy all of the Korean peninsula? -- hasn't that been their publicly stated goal for the last fifty-some-odd years?; isn't their whole current beef with the US a ploy to get the US off the Korean peninsula as the first step in achieving this aim?). How does Roh get off in passing himself off as an unconcerned party and great arbiter of "peace" -- is he, or is he not, our ally, and the one who actually has his butt in the fire??? If he doesn't want to act as our ally, and wants to be Ghandi, than the logical conclusion is that it's time for us to get off the peninsula and let have a go at his peace diplomacy.

China can end this anytime they want to.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Amazing Website From Kunsan AB

Very big site, but fascinating if you have an interest in Korea.

[OahuBreeze]

You're right, fascinating site. Just saw this paragraph, which is on topic:

"He [Pres Roh] also raised eyebrows by stating that in the event of a conflict between the U.S. and North Korea he would not get involved except to “mediate” between the two warring parties — despite the fact that the U.S. would come to his country’s aid in the event of a crisis with the North. Roh also hinted at the possible withdrawal of American forces from Korea. Above all, he promised he would not “kowtow” to Washington, but rather put the U.S. and South Korea on an “equal footing.”

[Steel Wolf]

Translation:

While our brothers languish under the yoke of an oppressive and murderous dictator, if they became free, it would be bad for us economically. It's safer and better for business if they just stay where they are.