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The chief presidential secretary for security Song Min-soon on Wednesday said South Korea would be the greatest victim in a war on the peninsula due to the "absurdity" of the security structure.
The U.S., on the other hand, "has fought more wars than any other nation in the history of its establishment and survival,¡± Song said.
The presidential aide made the remark at a forum titled ¡°The 21st Century Northeast Asia Future Forum¡±, organized by the JoongAng Ilbo and the Hyundai Research Institute, when asked how to resolve the difference between Seoul¡¯s focus on preventing war and Washington¡¯s on deterring nuclear weapons. Song urged ¡°the right balance between Seoul's and Washington's North Korea policy considering that difference.¡±
The remarks seem to imply a call for greater weight to be given to South Korea¡¯s position in the crisis on the peninsula caused by Pyongyang's nuclear test. They reflect a perception in the ruling Uri Party that the U.S. is primarily responsible for the North¡¯s nuclear test and that sanctions against the North could lead to war. "I suspect that the U.S. does not have any comprehensive North Korea policy, and the Bush administration has a tendency to move at the whim of its aides and the North¡¯s actions,¡± he said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Alexander Vershbow said even when the UN Security Council increases pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear test, it will not lead to a second Korean War.
Addressing a meeting at Korea Press Center, the envoy said the UNSC resolution is not a complete embargo against the North but aims to ¡°help¡± it move in a positive direction. Vershbow stressed the resolution allows humanitarian aid to the North to continue and thus help the North Koreans. He added U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her planned visit to Seoul on Thursday will call for active participation of U.S. allies in preventing North Korea from conducting illegal activities. Rice "will talk to the South Korean government about our request to join with others to expand cooperation through the Proliferation Security Initiative,¡± he added.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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