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Seoul wants N. Korea's denuclearization by 2012: presidential aide
By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- Seoul aims to denuclearize North Korea no later than 2012, the year set by Pyongyang for the country to become a prosperous and powerful nation, a top-level presidential aide in Seoul said Monday.
"We (the international community) have spent 16 years in dealing with North Korea ... but have failed to approach the core issue. We must set a target time frame," Kim Tae-hyo, presidential secretary for national security strategy, said at a seminar in Seoul.
Kim was highlighting several preconditions for President Lee Myung-bak's "grand bargain" proposal over the denuclearization of North Korea. His comment also suggests that Lee would seek to end the North's nuclear program before his five-year term ends in early 2013.
The year 2012 marks the birth centennial of the communist country's founder, Kim Il-sung, and the year when his son and current leader Kim Jong-il turns 70. Pyongyang has declared a goal of building a "great, prosperous and powerful" nation by then.
"The year 2012 should mark the abolishment of the North Korea's nuclear program, not the completion of the country's goal to become strong and prosperous," the aide said.
The grand bargain, first mentioned by Lee during his visit to the U.S. in September, envisions a package deal in which members of the six-party talks on ending the North's denuclearization provide it with security guarantees, massive economic aid and other incentives in return in a single-phased deal that does not necessitate further negotiations.
After months of provocations, highlighted by long-range rocket and nuclear tests, the communist North has sought to reach out to the outside world and invited Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, to visit Pyongyang.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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