Millennium Democratic Party leader Kim Keun-tae told the National Assembly, Tuesday, that the government should not start doubting its 'sunshine policy,' aimed at developing rapprochement and peace, simply because US President George W. Bush labeled North Korea as part of "an axis of evil." Kim said he does not expect the current Bush administration to make the same mistakes as in the past, when "US administrations sided with dictators whenever the country was close to democratization."

Kim continued, that President Bush's visit to Seoul has to contribute to peace on the Korean peninsula and he hoped Washington would confirm its willingness to improve relations with Pyongyang, through the South Korea and US summit talks.

Regarding his counterpart Lee Hoi-chang's recent remarks against the 'sunshine policy' during his visit to America, Kim strongly criticized Lee for "shaking hands with hard-liners against the North by standing against the current government's policy on North Korea." He called it an outdated attitude from the age of the Cold War.

Kim noted President Kim Dae-jung apologized many times for his relatives' roles in financial scandals, but that Lee did not make a single apology for corruption scandals in which he was involved, and even interrupted an investigation by using National Assembly privileges.

(Choi Jun-seok, jschoi@chosun.com )