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All 11 South Korean officials at the Inter-Korean Exchanges and Cooperation Consultation Office in the Kaesong Industrial Complex, operated jointly by North and South Korea, have been pulled out after the communist country demanded they leave, taking issue with comments by the South¡¯s Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong. Kim said last week that it would be difficult to expand the complex unless the North Korean nuclear problem is resolved. The office was the first permanent body created by the two sides as a result of an agreement the two Koreas signed in 2005. North Korea pulled out three of its own workers at the office in 2006 after South Korea deferred rice and fertilizer shipments following the North¡¯s launch of multiple missiles. But this is the first time North Korea told South Korean officials at the office to leave. North Korea is probably the only country in the world that can unilaterally scrap an agreement signed by two governments and kick out workers from the other side.
But it did not order the five South Korean civilians in the office to leave. That shows the North is not willing to let the issue affect the entire operation of the Kaesong Industrial Complex. But it remains notable that North Korea has finally resorted to a physical show of protest after silently watching political developments following the launch of the Lee Myung-bak administration.
It was going to happen eventually, now that the government is pursuing a new North Korea policy. Instability is inevitable. Simply delaying addressing the basic problems that affect the very lives of 70 million Koreans is not, in any case, stability. If we have discovered the right way to solve this problem, then we must walk down that path at the risk of triggering instability. The basic problem affecting the Korean peninsula is not the Kaesong Industrial Complex but North Korea¡¯s nuclear program. Kim was simply stating the reality of the situation when he said it would be difficult to expand the complex unless the nuclear problem is resolved. You cannot solve a problem by covering up the real situation.
At a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington D.C., South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said ¡°time and patience are running out¡± regarding North Korea¡¯s repeated delays in declaring its nuclear materials. The U.S. government probably feels the same way. Since North Korean and U.S. officials met in Berlin, South Korea, the U.S. and China have been waiting for the North to respond and declare its nuclear materials. The problem is now at a critical stage.
The most important task is to verify as soon as possible whether Kim Jong-il has the will to give up his country¡¯s nuclear program. The moment of truth could come soon or elude us indefinitely. South Korea must stick to principles in dealing with North Korea to make the moment of truth come sooner. If North Korea thinks it can continue to receive aid even if it delays resolving the nuclear problem, then it could make the wrong decisions. Whether it is the Kaesong Industrial Complex or aid to North Korea, they must help rather than hinder a resolution to the nuclear crisis.
But we must give North Korea the assurance that abandoning its nuclear program could open a bright future. To do that, we must make sure North Korea feels it is surrounded by favorable conditions. It will be a difficult and painful task trying to find a balance between such contrasting demands. There is the possibility that North Korea may test South Korea and other members of the six-party talks one more time by seeking to exclude the South from nuclear talks and even take drastic measures such as sparking off a military clash. These are waves that must be overcome. The situation calls for the wisdom of the South Korean government, the patience of the South Korean people and the unity of the government and the public.
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