By Toby Harnden in Washington
The Telegraph (UK)
(Filed: 31/12/2002)
South Korea sharply diverged from the Bush administration's policy on North Korea yesterday, saying Washington's policy of economic pressure and isolation would fail.
Kim Dae-jung
President Kim Dae-jung, whose "sunshine policy" of engagement with Pyongyang has been derided by some White House officials, said direct engagement with the Stalinist state was the only way to relieve tension.
"We cannot go to war with North Korea and we can't go back to the Cold War system and extreme confrontation," he told his cabinet.
Mr Kim was speaking as two United Nations arms inspectors prepared to leave Yongbyon, the nuclear complex re-opened by North Korea in defiance of American demands for it to abide by a 1994 agreement to abandon its pursuit of atomic weapons.
In a carefully phrased swipe at America, Mr Kim said: "Pressure and isolation have never been successful with Communist countries - Cuba is one example.
"We will work closely with our allies to solve this problem and we will firmly oppose North Korea's nuclear arms programme but, no matter what, we will pursue a peaceful solution."
South Korea's stance has further complicated an already intensely difficult problem for President George W Bush as he seeks to quell a fresh crisis while moving towards war with Iraq early next year.
The dilemma Mr Bush faces was underlined over the weekend when Washington proposed a new policy of "tailored containment" that would isolate North Korea economically and at the same time suggested that a form of negotiations might begin.
White House officials have spoken of exerting such pressure on Pyongyang that Kim Jong-il's regime would collapse, an intention that has alarmed China and South Korea, which fear a destabilisation of the region.
But Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, said: "We have channels open. They know how to contact us." This indicated that the Bush administration was willing to modify its previous stance of refusing to deal with Pyongyang.
Mr Kim is due to hand over power in February to the president-elect, Roh Moo-hyun, a moderate who defeated the conservative Lee Hoi-chang, who stood on a platform of getting tough with Pyongyang.
North Korea, identified by Mr Bush as part of an "axis of evil" with Iran and Iraq, has an army of 1.1 million, the world's fifth largest. America has 37,000 troops stationed in South Korea.
Russia has toughened its tone towards North Korea, condemning the resumption of its Cold War ally's nuclear programme as a move that "cannot help but provoke regret".
But Igor Ivanov, the Russian foreign minister, also demanded that Washington must tone down its "aggressive rhetoric and threats" towards Pyongyang.