SOUTH KOREA: South Koreans protest against inter-Korean summit, question the effectiveness of the meeting

Protesters denounce a summit between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, questioning the effectiveness of the meeting as Roh's administrationin five months. Anti-North Korea protesters gathered in downtown Seoul to denounce the summit on Wednesday (October 3). They chanted anti-North Korean slogans and condemned Roh for holding a summit with Kim Jong-il. "I cannot trust the president, who has an obligation to protect our security and democracy, because he's having the summit with tyranny of North Korea," said Shu Suk-koo, president of Future Forum. South Koreans have mixed feelings over the second inter-Korea summit as the leaders of the Koreas, one of the last relics of the Cold War, began formal talks on Wednesday to discuss establishing peace and co-prosperity on the Korean peninsula. Although many consider the summit another historical moment, many question the effectiveness as Roh only has five months left in office. "I think the timing is inappropriate to have the summit, but I hope the summit goes well because it's happening anyway. There are many important issues to be discussed. I'm just hoping for the best," said 25-year-old Roh Eun-young. Roh, in the the final months of an unpopular presidency, faces heavy pressure to come home with results from a summit which has been widely criticised as unlikely to achieve much. Roh's critics said the visit is aimed more at domestic politics and expect Roh to skirt around the nuclear weapons issue and mass human rights abuses so as not to offend his paranoid host. Others said economic cooperation between the two Koreas should be an important part of the agenda during the summit. "The talks should be discussed not only to discuss politics but also to discuss economic issues so that we can narrow the economic problem, which might happen after the reunification in the future. That's very crucial," said 24-year-old Moon Sun-young. Roh has said he wants the summit with Kim to ease tensions between the states, which are technically still at war and help the economy of his northern neighbour, which the international community is offering massive aid and an end to its isolation if it gives up atomic weapons. The nuclear deal, almost exactly a year after the North conducted its first nuclear test, should ease pressure on Roh to force disarmament concessions out of Kim. On Wednesday, South Korea's YTN television reported that Roh rejected a proposal by the North Korean leader to extend their summit meeting for another day. And in a pool report from Pyongyang, a presidential spokesman said Roh would issue a joint statement with North Korea's Kim Jong-il on Thursday and return to Seoul that day as scheduled. No reason was given but earlier Roh was quoted as telling reporters in Pyongyang that he felt a "wall, hard to tear down" in his talks with Kim. A South Korean presidential spokesman said earlier in Seoul that Kim had proposed adding an extra day to the summit, only the second in more than 60 years of national division. so that their talks could be more substantive and relaxed. The three-day meeting comes amid news of an imminent deal between North Korea and regional powers to unwind Pyongyang's nuclear arms programme and put an end to years of bluster, threats and diplomatic wrangling. Late on Tuesday (October 2), the United States suggested that the international community was close to a deal that would lead to massive aid for the North and an end to its isolation if it finally gives up its ambition to become a nuclear weapons power. The chief U.S. envoy to nuclear talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States said he expected a draft statement in the next day or two on a timetable to disable North Korea's Soviet-era nuclear complex by the end of this year.

ITN Source | October 3, 2007

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