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Presidential Chief of Staff Moon Jae-in, who is also the head of a committee organizing the inter-Korean summit, appeared before the National Assembly¡¯s Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee and said there is a chance that the Northern Limit Line, the maritime border separating the two Koreas, could be discussed during the summit ¡°whether we like it or not.¡± Regarding the inclusion of Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo in the presidential entourage to the North, Moon said, was to prepare for the eventuality.
If North Korea takes issue with the NLL, Moon said, the South Korean government would look at preconceived plans for a peaceful fishing and maritime zone or the formation of a maritime park in the West Sea. This is equivalent to moving our border further south.
North and South Korea agreed in 1992 in the Inter-Korean Joint Declaration that the boundary separating the two sides will be the area both sides have held jurisdiction over until now. In other words, political and legal discussions over the NLL are over. Yet recently, the Ministry of Defense sounded out United Nations Command on changing the NLL. The UNC responded clearly, saying that the NLL is not up for negotiation since it is a clearly designated border that both sides have recognized for the past 40 years. The UNC reportedly told the Ministry of Defense that changing or redrawing the NLL is not a matter to be decided solely between the two Koreas but needs UNC consent.
North Korea has attempted to push the NLL south whenever it had the chance. When its demands to redraw the NLL during military talks in July were not accepted by South Korea, the North said there was no reason to continue the talks and walked out. Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said recently that the NLL is ¡°not a territorial question.¡± Ruling-camp officials joined in saying the NLL should be discussed as an important matter during the summit. And finally, a presidential secretary confirmed that the operation of the NLL will be touched on at some level.
In a press conference on Aug. 11, President Roh Moo-hyun said raising the issue of North Korea¡¯s nuclear program during the summit would be like asking for a fight. He said the nuclear issue ¡°is being resolved¡± and raising it would dampen the atmosphere at the summit. So the president has no desire to talk about the North Korean nuclear problem, upon which hang the lives of South Koreans. Yet he is willing to discuss the NLL, which involves handing over our territory to the North. Just who owns South Korea and which country does Roh represent?
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