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Political parties in South Korea have mixed views on a U.S. bill that endorses financial aid for international campaigns trying to improve human rights in North Korea. Uri Party members have taken a cautious stance, pointing to the negative consequences of the bill on efforts to engage the North while the opposition Grand National Party strongly backs the latest development.
The ruling Uri Party is voicing strong opposition against the North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004 adopted by the U.S. Senate this week.
Party members say the latest development is likely to backfire and serve to aggravate tensions on the Korean peninsula. Speaking to reporters here in the country, chairman of the Uri Party Lee Bu-young also pointed to the bill's potential impact on multilateral efforts to persuade North Korea to surrender its nuclear ambitions.
Claiming that the Senate's move comes at a sensitive time, Lee is urging the South Korean government to seek negotiations with the U.S. to ease the negative consequences of the bill.
The bill permits Washington to set aside 24-million U.S. dollars annually from 2005 to 2008 to improve human rights conditions for North Koreans.
In response, the main opposition Grand National Party is harshly criticizing Uri Party members for "placing inter-Korean ties ahead of human rights." The GNP insists "without a concrete solution to problems involving human rights, there can be NO cross-border relations."
Arirang TV
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