Lee proposes liaison offices with North

President Lee Myung-bak yesterday proposed the establishment of liaison offices between two Koreas to move forward cooperation and create "a new turning point" in bilateral ties.

In a New Year`s address, Lee pledged efforts to bring about "substantial change in inter-Korean relations" as one of his top five policy goals for this year.

"We have to make a new turning point in the South-North relations," he said. "I urge North Korea to return to six-party talks early. I expect denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula to move forward and the floodgate for inter-Korean cooperation to be opened."

He also suggested the two Koreas establish a permanent dialogue channel, by which he means high-level liaison offices in both capitals. The offer was first made by Lee in April 2008 in an interview with Washington Post. The North rejected the proposal.



In the address, he also proposed a joint project to recover remains of South Korean soldiers killed during the Korean War.

He told reporters later that he is optimistic about the inter-Korean summit.

His remark came after the North in its New Year`s message on Friday pledged to improve ties with South Korea, work toward a nuclear-free peninsula and put an end to hostility with the United States.

In the televised address Lee said this year priorities will be economic recovery and job creation, educational reforms, regional development, political reforms and expanding the nation`s diplomatic horizon.

"The top national policy agenda in 2010 is to revive the economy and its core is to create jobs," Lee said.

The government expects the economy grow five percent this year after an estimated 0.2 percent expansion last year.

But he said he will make efforts to help citizens recover from the consequences of the global financial crisis in the second half of the year.

The government plans to maintain expansionary policies due to internal and external uncertainties and to relieve the pains of low-income households and the jobless.

The government aims to create 200,000 jobs this year by boosting service sectors, public works and diverse job finding programs. The nation lost 70,000 jobs last year.

Lee said a monthly meeting of ministers will be launched to coordinate employment policies.

On the diplomatic front, he said Seoul will seek closer relations with China and Japan and accelerate his New Asia Initiative aimed to bolster partnerships with Southeast and Central Asia.

Lee is poised to expedite his Global Korea vision, which promises to more actively engage in issues the world faces including security, development, poverty and climate change.

He said the country will continue to broaden partnership with more countries, especially with Africa this year

Lee spurred his efforts last year to enhance ties with developing countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, which are rich in resources and are emerging as new growth centers of the world economy.

(jjhwang@heraldm.com)





By Hwang Jang-jin