(News Focus) Family reunion accord rekindles hope for improved inter-Korean relations
By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- The two Koreas' latest agreement to resume reunions of families separated by the Korean War has offered a fresh ray of hope for the long-chilled relationship between Seoul and Pyongyang, North Korea experts in Seoul said Friday.
Expressing a guarded optimism, however, they stressed that North and South Korea still have a long way to go in restoring the mood of reconciliation seen during Seoul's past two liberal administrations, given South Korea's commitment to the United Nations sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear and missile provocations.
On Friday, the two Koreas ended three days of negotiations in the North with an agreement to set up reunions for families separated by the Korean War, the first in nearly two years, from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1.
Observers evaluated the reunion agreement in a positive light, but underscored that such reconciliatory gestures by North Korea should be read in the context of U.N. sanctions and the country's effort to have direct talks with the U.S.
"We can read the agreement as a virtual resumption of talks between the two governments. It is the first achievement for the Lee Myung-bak government within the inter-Korean context," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul.
Kim is optimistic that the agreement will provide a new start in inter-Korean relations, but stressed that any thaw would come in the context of progress on North Korea's nuclear issue and the country's relations with the U.S.
"Within the nuclear issue, the North cannot afford to neglect its relations with the South. That is also what the U.S. wants," said Kim.
Toward the United States, North Korea has sought bilateral dialogue to improve relations. It has reportedly invited Stephen Bosworth, the special U.S. representative on North Korea policy. A group of Pyongyang officials visited Los Angeles last week to meet with U.S. relief organizations and seek the resumption of food aid.
Park Young-ho, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, noted that North Korea should offer a more clear and concrete sign at the working level that it wants to improve relations with the South.
"North Korea wanted to discuss the upcoming reunion event as a one-time event while the South wanted to resume regularized reunions," Park said, adding that the North's latest agreement with the South is more of a strategic move to win international support in the face of U.N. sanctions.
"While I do acknowledge its potential, I think it is still premature to read recent developments as hints that the two Koreas' relations will be drastically restored."
Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University, said that he sees some potential for the two Koreas to add traction in restoring relations, but also was reserved on reading too much into the upcoming reunion event.
"There seems to be some space made for humanitarian issues. I think the two Koreas will continue to hold talks on humanitarian matters and North Korea will probably link the issue with food aid to the country."
Seoul suspended government-to-government aid last year as Pyongyang boycotted dialogue with the conservative Lee administration. As North Korea was shifting to a conciliatory mode in recent weeks, speculation grew that Seoul may respond with rice and fertilizer aid.
"What is crucial for the current administration's North Korea policy is to maintain a calm stance, regardless of any given political situation, while keeping a consistent demand that the North shift its policy," Yoo said.
The accord on family reunions came on the heels of a recent agreement North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reached with Hyun Jeong-eun, chief of South Korea's Hyundai Group, to revive virtually defunct joint tourism projects in the North and resume family reunions.
In another positive note, the North Korean leader last week sent a condolence delegation formed of his close aides to Seoul to pay respects to late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. They later paid a courtesy call to President Lee Myung-bak and delivered to him a verbal message from the North Korean leader wishing for "progress in inter-Korean cooperation."
Prior to recent inter-Korean developments, former U.S. President Bill Clinton traveled to Pyongyang on Aug. 4 to hold lengthy talks with Kim Jong-il and win the release of two detained American journalists.
The North's about-face attitude towards the South came as a surprise to many, as it severed inter-Korean dialogue and has repeatedly threatened armed clashes since Lee came into power with a promise to approach North Korea with a tougher policy than his predecessors.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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