Kim Dae-jung wants pragmatic approach to human rights in North Korea

In a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of Kim’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize Thursday night at the W Seoul-Walkerhill Hotel, northeastern Seoul, he made the three points in helping the Communist country change human rights for the better.

Firstly, he said history showed that any attempt to force communist countries to improve harsh human rights conditions had not been successful. The 2000 Nobel Peace Laureate said it was not strict sanctions, but economic and cultural exchanges that led to the opening of the communist countries including the Soviet Union, the People´s Republic of China and Vietnam and the amelioration of their human rights.

“The United States has imposed economic sanctions on Cuba for the last five decades, but has failed to change the communist country,??

Kim said that he has already told U.S. President George W. Bush that we should not forget that lesson when we deal with the case of North Korea.??

“Washington has changed the People´s Republic of China through detente without firing even a single bullet. Vietnam?s human rights have not changed for the better because the United States waged a war with the country,?? he said.

Secondly, there are different aspects of human rights, according to the former president. “We can help upgrade the human rights of impoverished North Koreans by providing them with such basic necessities as food and clothes. An encouragement of active reunion of aging family members on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is another way of helping North Korea ameliorate human rights. When people are suffering from agony linked to their inability or frustration to meet family members, it is also an obstacle to improved human rights,?? he said.

Thirdly, Kim said, “Now is time for us to prioritize helping ease the sufferings of our malnourished North Korean brethren rather than seeking to force the North Korean leadership to improve political aspects of human rights??.

Kim said when the humanitarian aspects of human rights are upgraded, the time will come when the Pyongyang leadership will improve political aspects of human rights, adding that this is the most pragmatic way of furthering human rights in any communist country.

“No matter how hard we try to improve North Korean human rights conditions, it won?t be possible if there is no internal change in the North. Just like the People´s Republic of China, the improvement of `political? human rights in the communist North will naturally come after economic and social changes,?? said Kim who has devoted much of his life to furthering the human rights situation in South Korea.

The octogenarian statesman said he does not agree with the view that the South Korean government has been indifferent toward human rights conditions in the North. “We have increased humanitarian aid programs for the North such as sending food, fertilizers, medicine and various other commodities for several years, which have greatly helped the North.??

“Before I was elected president, there were only about 200 South Koreans who met their separate families through inter-Korean family reunions, but now there are some 12,000 people,?? he said. This is another way of nudging North Korea to improve human rights.

“The South Korean government has helped some 7,000 North Korean defectors settle down in the South and has offered financial support for them. I believe no other country in the world has offered this sort of substantial help to those defectors.?? “ Helping North Korean defectors live well in the South is also another aspect of improving the human rights of our northern brethren,?? Kim said.

Korea Times
Lee Jin-woo
December 9, 2005