Funeral offers new chance for inter-Korean thaw

During the last months in his life, former President Kim Dae-jung anguished watching his life-long efforts for peace unraveling.

Inter-Korean ties remained chilled, the nuclear crises were escalating, and tension reminiscent of the Cold War era loomed large over the Korean Peninsula.

Partisan feuds caused parliamentary democracy to crumble, ideological divides deepened and violent clashes between police and protesters were common.

His death on Tuesday, however, is giving his unfulfilled dreams new life.

The two Koreas held the first meeting in nearly two years after a top-level delegation visited Seoul to pay respects to Kim. They dedicated a wreath of tribute from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

North Korean officials yesterday met with President Lee Myung-bak and delivered a message regarding "progress in inter-Korean relations."



Lee`s officials expressed hopes that the two governments will follow up with talks to resolve practical issues.

The summit in 2000 between the two Kims opened a flurry of inter-Korean exchanges and joint business opportunities. Most of them have been suspended due to political tension since Lee took office in early 2008.

"Even after his death, President Kim Dae-jung is laying the bridge over the troubled inter-Korean ties," said former unification minister Chung Dong-young, after he met with the North Korean visitors.

Kim Ki-nam, chief delegate, was quoted as urging the two Koreas to bury legacies of the Cold War, put the past behind them and make a new start.

Signs of thawing appeared before his death. North Korea released two journalists and expressed hopes of improving ties with Washington early this month after Bill Clinton`s visit to Pyongyang.

Pyongyang also freed a South Korean worker during the Hyundai chairwoman`s visit. The North Korean leader agreed to resume reunions of families, normalize stalled tourism programs and reinvigorate the joint business park in Gaeseong. The North also lifted its nearly nine-month restriction on cross-border traffic last week.

Seoul is also showing willingness to more actively engage North Korea.

In a Liberation Day speech Aug. 15, Lee conspicuously toned down his rhetoric when he proposed inter-Korean talks to reduce conventional arms and build an economic community across the border.

In an apparent bid to assuage the North`s sense of insecurity, Lee never mentioned the "openness" of the isolated country and stressed his hopes that the North will "defend itself."

Lee reiterated that the North should give up its nuclear weapons. But he put the demand in a different context; he did not criticize it as a threat to peace but urged the North "to realize that nuclear weapons cannot guarantee its security, but rather are an obstacle to a better future."

He also said Seoul is willing to help the North when it "shows determination" to give up the nuclear arsenal.

Lee`s policy was to demand that the North scrap its nuclear weapons program and open up to the outside world before Seoul would contribute more aid toward rebuilding the North`s crumbled economy.

Kim`s passing also offers a new momentum for differing parties, regions and ideological groups in South Korea to pursue unity and reconciliation.

For the past week, perennially feuding parties have put their differences aside in solemnly pledging to carry on his lofty ideal of peace and democracy.

His death marks the end of a chapter in Korean politics, tainted by regional animosity, ideological divisions and factional politics and is inspiring the value of unity to the people tired of political bickerings.

Political circles are voicing the need for reconciliation which Kim embodied during his tumultuous life. As president, Kim pardoned former strongman Chun Doo-hwan whose junta had sentenced him to death in the early 1980s.

Before his death, many of Kim`s adversaries visited the hospital where he was being treated.

In an emotional visit, Kim Young-sam, a former political foe, said, "We have been comrades from our youth." For three decades, they united in fighting the military dictatorship but competed bitterly with each other to grab power.

"President Kim guided the nation to unite, even as he lay in the hospital," Lee said.

Lee has recently raised a new banner for political reform for national unity. He proposed changes to the electoral system that aggravated regional divisions. He urged all parties to forge a sound political culture based on dialogue and compromise.

Lee`s approval ratings have sharply increased in recent polls, thanks to his new centrist agenda with the goal of social cohesion.

(jjhwang@heraldm.com)



By Hwang Jang-jin