Seoul, June 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Wednesday that South and North Korea, not outside powers, should lead in resolving security issues on the Korean Peninsula.
"The leading players on Korean Peninsula issues are South and North Korea. That is the constant," Chung said at the fourth meeting of the ministry's peace advisory council held at the Office of Inter-Korean Dialogue.
"Other countries are only variables," Chung said, "But they have come to override the constant. That is a tragedy."
His remarks appeared to reflect a concern that Seoul could be sidelined as international attention shifts back to the Korean Peninsula, Yonhap News Agency reported.
With a string of summits among the United States, China, Russia and North Korea having recently wrapped up, and the US-Iran war apparently winding down under a new peace deal, global focus could soon turn back toward security issues on the peninsula.
Against this backdrop, Chung's underlying message was that the two Koreas, not outside powers, should be the ones leading the way.
During Wednesday's event, the minister also recalled his 2005 visit to Pyongyang when he met Kim Jong-il, father of current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while attending the fifth anniversary of the June 15 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration, a historic peace agreement aimed at building mutual trust.
Chung said the two agreed that South and North Korea should take the initiative in building peace on the peninsula.
"We should be bold and decide our own destiny," he quoted the late Kim as saying.
On Sunday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said he believes the "ember of hope" for reviving dialogue and cooperation with North Korea still exists, reaffirming his commitment to making the utmost efforts to establish peace with Pyongyang.
The President made the remarks in his speech during a special Mass at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, celebrated by South Korea-born Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik under the theme of peace and solidarity.
Lee adopted to the inter-Korean joint statement June 15, 2000, calling it a "historic turning point" that, he said, signaled the possibility of overcoming inter-Korean tensions and opening up dialogue and referred cooperation.
The President noted the first inter-Korean joint statement had led to reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, as well as humanitarian cooperation and other exchanges, opening the door to new hopes for building peace on the Korean Peninsula.
“I firmly believe the ember of that hope is still alive,” Lee said.
The President reiterated his administration's efforts to ease tensions, including the suspension of propaganda loudspeaker campaigns toward Pyongyang.
“Additionally, we have also made it clear that we will not seek unification by absorption or unilateral (ideological) competition,” Lee said.
“(We) will continue efforts to prevent accidental conflicts between the South and the North and to restore military trust,” he added. “(We) plan to do everything we can to overcome the ceasefire and build a peace system.”
Lee cited escalating international crises, including the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East, while noting the Korean Peninsula, too, has slid back to an era of rupture and severed dialogue.
“Distrust and tensions remain as ever,” he said.
"However, South Korea has a track record of keeping its faith in peace and democracy through vicissitudes and hardship," he added, underscoring the country's capacity to overcome inter-Korean tensions.
The President also expressed gratitude for the Vatican's support for Seoul's peace efforts, saying that he believes peace on the peninsula could contribute to global peace, which would, in turn, help solidify peace on the peninsula through global solidarity.
Since taking office in June, the Lee administration has made consistent overtures to seek peace and dialogue with North Korea, although Pyongyang has remained unresponsive.
The North Korea apparently remains firm in its pledge not to give up its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while adopting hostile policies toward Seoul by defining inter-Korean relations as those between two "hostile" countries.
Source: IANS
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