Kim said it was “hard to take on board” all the inter-Korean agreements reached in the past now that a new government is in power. Asked about the difference between the North Korea policies of the new government and the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations, the minister designate cited the new administration's “the new administration's priority on the Seoul-Washington alliance in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue." He added, "We are going to emphasize human rights, universal human values. And however difficult it will be, we are going to try to find solutions to the issues of the South Korean prisoners of war and abduction victims held in the North, and North Korean refugees."

He referred to four principles in inter-Korean cooperation mentioned by President Lee Myung-bak -- progress in the denuclearization, the feasibility of inter-Korean economic cooperation projects, South Korea’s ability to bear the burden, and popular consensus. “Under these principles, we'll prioritize matters in inter-Korean agreements."

There was a caveat. "It's not a good idea to tie humanitarian rice and chemical fertilizer aid to North Korea with its human rights record or the issue of the POWs and abduction victims,” Kim said. “But a comprehensive review of the North Korean nuclear issue or inter-Korean relations will be necessary if the humanitarian aid is of a large scale," he added.

He admitted the Kim administration's Sunshine Policy “had positive effects on expanding inter-Korean exchanges. But there were problems with its method, speed, scale and popular consensus.”

(englishnews@chosun.com )