South Korea’s main opposition leader Moon Jae-in urged the country Sunday to resume efforts to restart the stalled multilateral talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea.
The six-party talks involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States have been suspended since late 2008 due to Pyongyang’s backtracking on its past agreement to abandon its nuclear weapons program in exchange for economic and political concessions.
In his speech marking the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan, the head of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy cautioned South Korea against depending on the U.S. and China to bring about nuclear disarmament of North Korea.
“Nothing will be resolved if we continue to depend on China or wait until the U.S. takes action,” he said at the National Assembly in southwestern Seoul. “We can’t and shouldn’t rely on others.”
To quickly resume the six-party dialogue, Moon suggested a two-track diplomacy in which South Korea would try to improve inter-Korean ties, as well as North Korea-U.S. relations.
“We are the impetus for conversation because we want it most,” he said, adding South Korea is the country most threatened by the North’s nuclear program.
The 2012 presidential candidate also insisted that South Korea increase its growth potential by expanding business opportunities in the North.
(Yonhap) |
“Should the two Koreas become an economic unity, with our businesses venturing into the North, our market will instantly expand to represent 80 million people, and our per capita income will top $30,000,” he said.
That would make South Korea only the fourth country after the U.S., Germany and Japan to reach the numerical milestones, he added.
Economic integration between the two Koreas, furthermore, would add 0.8 percentage point to South Korea’s annual growth and create 50,000 new jobs each year until 2050, according to Moon.
The 62-year-old former lawyer, who served as chief of staff to late President Roh Moo-hyun, gave the speech a day after South Korea commemorated the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule.
South and North Korea celebrated the key anniversary separately after talks to hold a joint event fell through. (Yonhap)