The Blue House has just announced that Pres. Roh will make a state visit to Pyongyang from Aug. 28th ~ 30th and hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jeong-il.
There has been speculation in this blog regarding the visit and it has now become reality. Although I doubt it, if there is some sort of breakthrough during the talks, fine by me. But if this is an attempt by the current administration to leave something of a legacy for Pres. Roh, while increasing Uri’s chances before the elections, and if this involved a huge payment to the North, then I’m afraid that this visit is nothing more than an expensive publicity stunt.
UPDATE 1 (by Robert Koehler): Here’s the link to the Yonhap (Korean) breaking news report. Apparently Cheong Wa Dae and North Korea’s KCNA announced the upcoming summit simultaneously. Ain’t that special?
UPDATE 2 (by Robert Koehler): A high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official told YTN (Korean) that no money transfers or inside deals were concluded during the summit agreement process.
BTW, if you read Korean, Yonhap already has the talking heads discussing how this might affect the upcoming presidential election. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to translate it now.
68 Comments
KJI had promised to go to Seoul, which almost no one believed would happen, still, Roh is already giving in to the North.
Roh will almost certainly come away from this empty-handed and it will give more ammo to the GNP.
A real leader would propose a troop pullback or demand the release of the almost 500 kidnapped S. Koreans in N.K.
I see another half-billion dollar handjob coming up.
I have been waiting for this. I wish a successful summit.
Unable to find a Taliban leader senior enough to surrender to, Roh turns to the next worst thing.
OK, that was funny.
Can you smell it? That’s a Nobel Peace Prize cooking.
I guess the check has cleared the bank for the visit to go ahead. I wonder how it will be perceived if the hostage crisis isn’t finished by then ? Roh hasn’t done much about it now … wait … perhaps Kim Jong Il is the saviour of the hostages ??? no … he has his own … drat !
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by now that everyone on THIS board would be against it.
You know, whether or not they just wind up holding hands singing kumbaya for 2-3 days, North Korean people will see this on the news. Any news on possible change in North Korea is good news, I think.
“Can you smell it? That’s a Nobel Peace Prize cooking.”
It’s unlikely that the Nobel committee will fall for that trick twice.
#3,
How much do you figure Roh will give to Kim Jong Il in order to secure a visit to Seoul before his time is up?
The political version of missionary tourism to a war zone.
Does Roh really have any hopes for North-South relations here, or is he just trying to get Southerners in the mood for the national elections this fall?
“North Korean people will see this on the news” they’ll see it on the KCNA, spun as the visit of Roh to pay homage to the Dear Leader.
North Korea is not and will not change because of this summit aside from, at best, KJI mouthing a platitude about “peace on the peninsula” and maybe promising something insignificant that they’ll later renege on.
And S.K. “leftists” will hail this as a huge success.
good the koreas are talking to one another. it’s better than war, no?
There are so many things one could say about this but I think I can safely say that the average South Korean will not be impressed at all, especially considering Roh’s tenure, the revelation of KDJ’s money-for-summit deal and the North’s steady provocations.
If the north and south wanted to talk, they can do so without such a visit. This is pure political show.
“it’s better than war” The Koreas are still at war — the norks fired on ROK troops just yesterday. So no, it isn’t better, it just adds to the sense of false security a lot of S. Koreans have and does not challenge KJI and his forward-positioned troops. He’ll probably come away from it richer and looking better to his people for getting the idiot Roh to visit on his terms.
#9
What I can say is that this is of a matter of a policy and acts. I’m excited that, while uninterested in politics, I, along with people around me, personally have many things to do in the process of the unification. Some people should keep complaining.
So, what are the Vegas odds that the Norks will throw a tantrum and cancel the trip just before it happens? How much will it costs the South to bribe them to change their mind?
Well, it remains to be seen whether this trick will help Roh and his henchmen keep their lucrative jobs, but it is clear that more money of South Korean tax-payers will be spent to keep North Korean prison guards and torture specialists well fed…
To #8, virtual wonderer
“You know, whether or not they just wind up holding hands singing kumbaya for 2-3 days, North Korean people will see this on the news. Any news on possible change in North Korea is good news, I think.”
Well, this is what I normally say: the more exchanges, the better even if it means compromising. But in the case of a summit there are three important considerations. This summit is exclusively a pre-election trick, do not forget this. Normal summit would be a good idea, but it should be planned carefully and hold in Seoul or other location outside Pyongyang.
1) Roh and his group are pressed by their low ratings, and this means they will make far more concessions than necessary. There might be illegal payments again, and a lot of other things the South Korean public will not learn about any time soon (until after the elections, at least).
2) A visit by a South Korean leader is supporting the new assertions of NK propaganda. Now the NK propaganda-mongers admit that South is relatively influent, but they strill insist that it is spiritually corrupt, so the Southerners are looking to KJI as the only hope for their moral redemption. They presented Kim Dae Jung’s trip as a visit to submit tribute, and they will do this again. It is especially important that the summit will take place in Pyongyang. Within NK symbolism this is clearly a sigh of an inferior position.
3) There are almost no chances that the additional aid Pyongyang will receive will be subjected to any control by Seoul. This means that 90% of the aid will go to strengthen the system, e.g. to provide full rations to the security police and their families, to give some special rewards to the most zealous officials, to boost propaganda and the like.
Once again, the puppet leader of the capitalist running dog imperialists will go to Pyongyang to grovel at the feet of the most benevolent and respected world leader KJI.
Good job Gomer Hyun.
I find the lack of faith in the Korean government by you foreigners in this thread to be disturbing. I suggest you look deep inside your hearts and think about whether you really have the health of the Korean nation in mind when you make such disgusting criticisms.
Myself and others will be keeping an eye on you, and will not hesitate to brand you as enemies of the state if your comments do not meet the minimum threshold of someone with a bona fide, sincere love of Korea in their hearts and minds.
Man, if I had Bill Gates type of money, I would give KJI a billion bucks just to bitch slap Roh on live KBS. Then if I died the next eating my french fries, I could die happy.
#20….
The power of the force is insignificant compared to the desire of Noh Myu Hyun to give KJI the keys to the Blue House.
Actually, I think it may be the opposite — the power of The Force is insignificant compared to the desire of KJI to give the keys of the Blue House to anyone other than Lee Myung-bak.
And to think that we might finally be seeing the 범여권 통합신당 — 열린우리당+조선로동당.
Surely given the revelations over KDJ’s payments the Korean people will not stand for this kind of thing again. Or are they that stupid? Also, what is the GNP’s reaction likely to be?
Bob,
Good take, obviously both sides see an opportunity
to advance their agend, I still smell the Uri ploy to maintain the KDJ legacy (whats left of it) as the biggest culprit - I am sure the netizens are already organizing Noh’s Nobel peace Prize campaign.
I wonder if the ROKG will ask USFK to scale back or postpone the exercise which will still be running at the time. Doh!
The Korean people weren’t consulted when $500 million was given to KJI the first time, so it’s likely they’ll find out after the fact that their gov’t has felched the ass of KJI again for X amount of chaebol/taxpayer cash, followed by a day or two of editorial outrage, followed by nothing.
And Marmot, if this is KJI’s strategy to prevent Lee from winning he’s off his game this time.
From Update #2:
And we should believe them because the government was so truthful about this during the KJI-KDJ summit, right?
Of course, even if it ends up going down as a pay-for-play deal, that ‘high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official’ can always claim he was right - heck, everyone knows there’s a difference between ‘discussed’ and ‘concluded’. There’s plenty of time left for conclusions after the press release.
“good the koreas are talking to one another. it’s better than war, no?”
So where’s this war that all this talk will be averting?
Roh is no doubt polishing the official kneepads for this visit. Tell me again what exactly the South will gain from this ’summit’?
“no money transfers or inside deals were concluded during the summit agreement process”
They are saving that for the summit?
I have a feeling that this is not only a plot to influence upcoming election. This maybe a prelude to unification push and eventual handover of South to Kim Jung Il.
Time for US to get out of Korea..
will amateur hour never end…
I’m not surprised by this at all. I mean for the past 4 years or so, he’s done enough ass-kissing to KJI to warrant a ‘thanks for your help’ visit.
Besides, I don’t think the Korean citizens are stupid enough to want another bozo like Roh for another 5 years, so I don’t think (at least I hope) it will affect the elections too much.
If they can make some reconciliatory gestures, more power to them.
I rest easy knowing the Korena public wont fall for this again.
A wise man once said…..
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
President Bush
Roh and Bush are in a dead heat for stupidest, most incompetent world leader, edging out Mugabe and Gaddafi. KJI moves up one notch.
The years and years of NK propaganda that fully polluted the minds of the 386 generation is responsible for the election of this clown Roh in the first place.
It is only polite that he head up there to give KJI a Thanks!
This summit should be entertaining, since this will take place shortly after the GNP has its political convention and determines it’s candidate.
Pres. Roh and hangers-on will be looking forward to blow yet more false hope into the tattered sails of the so-called Sunshine Policy – even though at the conclusion of the first summit, Dear “Fearless” Leader hand promised the next summit would take place in Seoul.
Instead, the ROK President will go, just short of kowtowing to Kim Jong-Il, in desperation to regain some credibility for the history books and possibly turn around the nation’s move back to the Conservatives.
It’s a shrewd move that just may work – particularly if something horrible happens with the Afghan hostages and the so-called Progressives can dream up an accusation that America (again) is to blame for a tragedy.
When the first summit took place, I could essentially see much potential positive in the future from such a meeting. Today, this second summit looks like sordid politics of the worst possible nature. I just hope not too much of the Korean electorate does get suckered in this time.
The North never has had nor does it have any respect for the ROK Government other than being suckers for badly needed aid. The South, depending on who is in the Blue House, fantasizes that their northern brothers down deep love them, and with patience, things will sort themselves out. That latter sentiment reminds me of the other communist factions that formed separately from Kim Il-Sung, prior to his rise to power. They, too, thought they had enough in common to get along with him and his faction. They were wrong; almost all of whom died suddenly and prematurely in the 1950’s.
What I find interesting is the summit is scheduled to take place when Ulchi Focus will be in full swing. NK recently backed out of a joint Liberation Day celebration and cited UFL as the reason.
As Tambe mentioned above, I think odds are really, really good that the Norks will throw a tantrum and cancel the trip just before it happens. Odds are also good the Blue House will try to place extreme limitations on the exercise to help Roh win favor with the Dear Leader.
I’m with French Quarter. What’s the alternative? Turn the screws and hope the North will peacefuly disintergrate or bow down to the west? Thats a republican fantasy. There are only 2 roads to reunification: war or dialogue.
I share suspicions about the mode and motives of this summit, but I still think it’s a step in the right direction. Maybe Kim Jong Il has decided, now that he’s in his twilight years, to roll the dice. Who knows? If he’s willing to talk serious concessions, he’d sooner do it with Roh than the next GNP leader. Whats the alternative? Do nothing?
Lankov, I agree with you at #1
Re #2, misused propaganda (of the sort that I don’t think will have a huge impact on the status quo of the northern regimes legitimacy) is a small price to pay for real and meaningful concessions.
As for #3, well, we can only hope the money isn’t there.
Al thats happened so far is that the 2 leaders have decided to talk. Let’s reserve judgement until we see the outcome.
I can only hope the people of South Korea maintain the same surprising amount of sanity and skepticism they have had towards their government’s cheap anti-American ploys, and see through this wretched charade for what it is…
Someone once said that “history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce” or something like it. And Roh is a farce if there ever was one.
Just a reminder from a time when a conservative government was dealing with the situation in a divided country, Germany:
‘Summary: Following several weeks of speculation
in the Western press, the West German government
announced on 25 July 1984 that it had officially
approved a DM 950,000,000 credit for the GDR from
a West German banking consortium. At the same
time, Bonn also announced that from August 1 the
GDR would be implementing a series of measures
that would lessen travel restrictions between the
two German states. Although West German
officials were at pains to emphasize that there was
no official link between the two moves, such a
connection could hardly be ignored, and the
conclusion of this deal has been viewed as preparing
the way for Honecker’s planned visit to the FRG
in September. This paper briefly summarizes the
details of this deal, comparing it to last June’s
credit deal in terms of its economic and
political implications.’
TITLE: A Second Credit for the GDR
BY: Ronald D. Asmus
DATE: 1984-8-3
RFE-RL
RADIO FREE EUROPE Research
“There are only 2 roads to reunification: war or dialogue.”
Real dialogue that achieves results doesn’t take place at dog and pony shows like this upcoming summit but in extended negotiations between government officials. If any agreements get signed at the summit, they were probably hammered out already prior to World’s Most Expensive Photo-op.
It seems disgustingly craven that the Roh admin didn’t hold out for the agreed and proper protocol that KJI has to visit Seoul for the next summit. Giving up on that for crass short-term political purposes will have far-reaching negative consequences…
That’s a textbook logical fallacy (false dilemma). Collapse/absorption is the obvious other possibility. Instability brings the possibility of war, but perhaps not the probability.
With the current northern regime, dialogue is worse than useless, it only prolongs the suffering of its population.
At any rate, what’s happened now is not genuine engagement; that something we’ll never see from Kim Jong-il.
Not to be too heretical, but there are other options. Notably coexistence as two separate states. There is nothing magical about Korea being one, two or twenty countries (just like any state in the world). What if North Korea evolved into some sort of moderate, free state but decided that reunification with the South was too much trouble? Sure, that is very unlikely, but it is an option.
Bruce Klingner nails it here:
http://www.heritage.org/Resear.....wm1584.cfm
And I thought they just wanted to sit down together and watch Sayuksin….
@ #8, virtual wonderer:
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by now that everyone on THIS board would be against it…”
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Roh visiting the north. However, I DO have a problem with Roh coming back.
Now, if the Norks agreed to just keep him, that’d be worth the hundreds of millions dollars we will inevitably throw their way afterwards.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Roh visiting the north. However, I DO have a problem with Roh coming back. - danson
That was funny.
Slim, thanks for Klinger’s article. “President Roh has talked of a “Marshall Plan” for North Korea, overlooking the fact that the U.S. program to rebuild post-World War II Europe was initiated after the demise of the totalitarian Third Reich.” Sure, build up the country KJI devastated and allow KJI to stay in power and enjoy the benefits. Exactly why Roh is an asshat.
A cunning sociopath is about to meet a bumbling half-wit.
This is going to be great entertainment…
The peanut gallery at Bob’s hole in the ground is predictably in the throes of another impotent circle jerk of Roh bashing, and hence in desperate need of reality check.
We Koreans hate Roh not for his FP, but for his — for Koreans, anyway — bad job on a depressed economy.
Actually, he gets points for continuing sunshine and not letting the Americans demand everything of the ROK (only to call us ingrates for being “unworthy” allliance partners, i.e. not saying “Yes Sir…Thank you, Sir” etc.).
The complaining about Sunshine is sooo tiresome, because its critics have been wrong about everything since DJ started in with rapprochement in the 1990s. You guys (meant for critics of sunshine) will be bitching all the way to a peace treaty ending the Korean War.
Korean conservatives are plain enough. They are just against it, because DJ started it and they have always hated DJ. If Lee Hoi-chang started it, they would have supported it. Blind ideologically motivated bulldooky.
And….Dude! What the hell is the counter plan??? The critics have no counter plan. What is the alternative, eh? I hear talk of reciprocity, but that is still sunshine (just with more reciprocity) and sounds like a big excuse, besides.
What nonsense. Anyone can deride any result as “lacking reciprocity.” You can always say the other side didn’t go far enough. And I can make a safe bet that if Lee or Pak become president, sunshine will continue as it is. No changes. And you guys will suddenly find reciprocity in Lee’s “new” sunshine policy.
Post script. Does anyone here really think NK is on the verge of collapse????? I am in my mid-40s and I have been hearing “The North is on the verge of collapse” my whole friggin life. Dude, talk about exaggeration and misrepresentation. Get off the pipe, my friends.
((( Post Post Script: Again these comments are directed at the critics of sunshine and rapprochement. Thanks for not censoring me off the air for being critical of the bloggers. And the AG in the 1st paragraph is meant not as a personal attack, but as a humorous rib jabbing intro. Don’t take it personally. Thks. )))
yourbutt = kushibo
Yes, yourbutt, anyone can deride a result as lacking reciprocity especially when said result DOES lack reciprocity:
Kim Jong Il promised in 2000 to repay KDJ visit to North Korea with a visit to South Korea. Kim Jong Il hasn’t visited South Korea. He’s failed to reciprocate.
Kim Jong Il promised to tone down tensions on the peninsula. Instead, KJI built and tested a nuclear weapon. Kim Jong Il faied to reciprocate.
Kim Jong Il promised to take steps toward eventual reunification. Instead, Kim Jong Il buys more deadly and accurate weapons systems to aim at the South. Kim Jong Il has failed to reciprocate.
South and North Korea are not any closer towards reunification than they were seven years ago.
Blueballs, how is the job search going?
Yourbutt is not Kushibo. He is in Hawaii, and the writing styles are different.
“I am in my mid-40s “
I find that fact hard to reconcile with your username, yourbutt.
Lets get something straight about the “sunstupid policy”. While I do not speak for all of the “circle jerkers”, we don’t hate it because KDJ came up with it, we hate it because it is so obvious that is does not work. What tangible result has come from this policy?
Initially, I think most foreigners initially supported it and wanted to give it a chance since it was like a breath of fresh air, the hardline policies of KDJs predecessors werent really getting anywhere so a different approach was warranted. However, it has become obvious that KJI reaps all the reward for very little reciprocity. Yes, I will use that word because uh, I dont know, thats how things are supposed to work. However, if the Korean voters want to continue to give their hard earned tax dollars to KJI, then I guess thats up to them.
Just remember, eventually, they will have to look the norks straight in the eye and tell them why they continued to bankroll one of histories worst despots in order to maintain their “standard of living” while their brothers starved and suffered at the hands of a maniacal egomaniac.
What’s up, yourbutt?
You say that Roh is bashed on this blog, but also ‘gets points’ for continuing a predecessor’s program. From whom does he get any great support for this? Certainly the Korean public doesn’t demonstrate any confidence in him. Have they simply formed an even-larger ‘impotent circle jerk’?
Sonagi, just kidding, the whole “where’s kushibo” thing is amusing to me. OK, I’m kushibo–no, I’m his other one, Nora.
“I am in my mid-40s“ that popped out at me too, considering the teenage punctuation. And, like, dude, whatever
Let’s take’em as the circle jerkers come:
#53, Obviously, NK should lighten up and is bad bad bad. That’s a given. And I agree, too, KJI should visit Seoul instead of poping off nukes (even nukes that don’t seem to work well). But reciprocity in sunshine policy is measureable the following ways:
(1) almost 20,000 family reunions
(2) NK econmy is opening: econ. zones, currency opening to match its poor economy, for. investment, etc.
(3) inter-Kor exchanges, sports, cultural exchanges, tourism, etc. etc. All baby steps, surely, but steps toward peace, nonetheless.
(4) establishing diplomatic relations with the world. They are about 150 countries recognizing them with formal relations now. More than half occuring over the past 10 years.
These are just off the top of my head. And they are all good and are aims of rapprochement. The whole point of talking with NK and getting them to open up is to get them to calm down and come out of their shell. This has decreased tension.
(5) Decreased tension. Anyone who was here in the early 1990s knows it is far less tense nowadays.
#54 and 55, I don’t know what to say. Are you claiming I am actually older or younger? About my id? Are you saying you don’t approve…??? Duh…It is a joke. It is better than your gay ass id. Sonagi??? Boo Hoo hoo…You gonna cry, like the rain? Or are you a fan of the singer???
#56,
tangible results??
See above.
Here is one more: (6) rail and road links.
Tension along the DMZ is far lower now than it was 10 years go before DJ took over. Even you weirdos have to admit that, right? Kim YS/Clinton brought us to the brink of a second Korea War, not to mention IMF (No, settle down and don’t you’re panties soiled. I am not blaming the US fo IMF. I blame Kim YS for not handling the crisis correctly).
#57,
Dude, you must be an English teacher…Learn to read before u talk, (shit, you ARE a native speaker of Eng, aren’t you???). After that, you then can start extricating your head out your butt. (While you’re at it, take your country’s troops out of Iraq. You seem ig’nint like an American…^^)
Clarification for the Americans: As I said in my above first comment: Sure, sure, sure…no one likes Roh. But 90% of the criticism is about the shitty economy and his bad job on reviving it. Most ppl here support the sunshine policy and his policy vis-a-vis “Mi-guk,” our loyal alliance and free trade partner. And most ppl here support another S-N summit, although they remain suspicious about the timing and all that. The only area of his job performance he has scored points is the area of FP.
((( P.S. Again please don’t take this as personal insults. My insults are in jest and in fun, of course. After all, it is the Internet, right? )))
((( Some of my posts don’t get through some how. So, thank you again, Bob, for not censoring me this time. )))
oooops, yeah you are right. Tension along the DMZ is lower, well, except for the firefight the other day.
You probably werent paying attention when the north Koreans attacked the ROK Navy in 2002 and sank a ROK ship killing several sailors int he process. You were probably too busy watching the World Cup game against Turkey. Who won that game anyway?
Was Kim YS responsible for creating the IMF? I must not have been paying attention.
AH! Korea’s role in the Asian economic crisis. Ok. Got it.
what’s up, yourbutt?
You didn’t answer the questions. Can’t you?
#53 -
Holy shit, Rocco’s spot on about something. I’d better get my ass to confession; the apocalypse is clearly upon us!
yourbutt is the most appropriately named commenter “Bob” has.
“It is better than your gay ass id. Sonagi???
I like my gay ass id almost as much as I like my gay ass friends. :b Tip to your butt: chicks generally aren’t homophobes and thus aren’t insulted or put off by gay references.
” Boo Hoo hoo…You gonna cry, like the rain? Or are you a fan of the singer???”
Troll insults only ever make me laugh. Thanks for starting my morning with a healthy serotonin-raising chuckle.
Dr. Lankov,
First let me just say that I am in awe of the work you are doing with FreeNK radio, Radio Free Asia, and NK Daily. I noticed that you are getting quite busy—my Lankov-watching leads me to conclude happy destruction of KJI in the near horizon. Also on a personal note, I think your opinion is the only one worth listening to out of all the so-called NK “experts” I hear.
In my view of the upcoming summit (folks, there is always the possibility it doesn’t happen, we are talking about North Korea here), Roh Moo Hyun is grasping for straws in terms of popularity boost. I can’t see how it’s going to change the Lee Myung Bak outcome. I think you probably agree with me that when KDJ did it, it was worth the effort, since it was the first time a South Korean leader did anything of the sort. I think most SK voters are smarter than what our regular Marmot posters give them credit for.
And I think at this point, if KJI were to use this to “twist” the context of the summit for his propaganda… well, this is really grasping for straws on the part of KJI considering we all know that Winter Sonata has successfully infiltrated the North Korean psyche. It is enough, I think, that NK people see South Korean president on NK central broadcasting. I think it’ll generate enough talk and hopefully gossips and rumors.
The third concern you raise, this is something that is troubling indeed… But now matter what we do, I really can’t see the south korean groovy train stopping whether or not Roh goes to Pyongyang. If anything, this summit thing could be a “reward” KJI gave to Roh for a broader set of goodie basket South Korea gave to North to get it back on the table with nuclear disarmament. IF this summit leads to more family reunions, then the cost of funding North Korea’s secret police may be worth it. We all know how those family members go back to North Korea and talk about what they seen or heard.
The way I look at it, I favor any action that chip away the information blockade of North Korea. RMH can not save Uridang. It’s just not all about NK issue. His party’s crazy members left him when he tried to do a sensible economic policy. You yourself have written several times that the change in NK must happen from party cadre. If we wind up feeding them and at the same time hopefully shove in a fresh wind of change, I welcome this.
Dear virtual wonderer,
First of all, thank you for your kind words! And sorry for a relatively short answer, I still have an urgent work to finish tonight.
I think that a summit is not a bad idea. But not now! The Northerners know only too well how desperate the RMH and his supporters are, and Pyongyang dictators will make most of this situation. Seoul is not in position to bargain now, they will many concessions and will not ask too many questions.
The generous aid packages which are certain to be agreed upon will be delivered without any conditions attached. The lame ducks of the Blue House are not in position to insist on monitoring, so the aid will be used by Kim Jong Il to enforce its grasp on power. In other words, additional money and food would feed the dictator’s bodyguards, the secret police officials and propaganda mongers while only a fraction, if any, of this aid will ever reach the average North Koreans.
Having said that: I believe that exchanges and negotiations are the only way. Not because it will somehow redeem the NK regime or persuade them to start reforming themselves (they are not suicidal), but because it will bring some seeds of change, which will sooner or later have some impact, and also because it will prepare the North koreans (I mean, real NKoreans, not only the privilleged elite) for the life in the future world. And this preparation is an important task which is often underestimated.
Sorry, have to go…
As always, I appreciate the time you take to respond personally on this blog when you are obviously very busy.
The question of how much cash will Roh drop this time… I think whatever it is, it will only add to his lameduck legacy. And perhaps teach the South Korean tax paying public about the wisdom of their choice 5 years ago.
My only concerns are… that KJI is doing a fantastic job cleaving US-ROK relations by demanding that we stop ULJI FOCUS and also shaking hands with Tehran. I am afraid that RMH might be stupid enough (and we know from the past that he is indeed stupid enough) to stop ULJI FOCUS.
Personally, I think South Korean voting public are sick of paying for KJI and getting nothing back in return. This whole thing will probably be (here’s hoping) the final blow to South Korea’s loony leftists. And I still think that the chance of this summit not happening is significant enough.
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