Bipartisan Support Essential for N. Korea Approach

By Park Ji-won

The following is an edited version of an interview with Global Peace Foundation Chairman Moon Hyun-jin. - ED.

Q. What is your basic idea of the current political situation?

A.

You could say this is a transformative moment in the history of Korea Indirectly, the position of South Korea and North Korea is already heading toward unification. This is a concern to me in several ways, although I have been working all my life for unification, so has my father, and even my great-great uncle going all the way back to the March 1 Movement in 1919.

He was one of the architects of the declaration of independence of Korea The question is what type of unification will come about.

The fact that Moon Jae-in suggested bilateral talks between the US and North Korea was a bad move; having America be front and center in terms of what is happening on the Korean Peninsula Russia and China wanted to be involved as well.

That's why after the first summit in Singapore, the global situation that was created where the US was able to get China and Russia on its side in terms of sanctions for the North eventually ended. Because the Chinese came in and they started to have bilateral relations with North Korea Then the Russians came with bilateral relations.

And then you take away the environment for the two Koreas to really build a foundation for unification.

Q.

I assume you are trying to set a long-standing strategy that doesn't change following the change of administration. In that sense, what is your organization's idea of dealing with other countries surrounding Korea?

A.

Korea is a bigger issue. So the changes of administrations in left and right has tremendous significance in terms of the inter-Korea relationship.

So think about all the policies of engagement over last several decades. It is all under liberal governments.

North Korea knows who its friends are in South Korea and who are its enemies. It is ironic that the stated goal of Park Geun-hye's administration was unification.

It was never able to engage with the North.

So before we ask about the changing of governments in the US, or China ― China won't change.

It is basically a dictatorship. Russia is a dictatorship.

So those governments will not change. A bigger question for the Korean media is what about Korea? There is a reason why under conservative presidents it was never able to engage the North ― because the North will not engage them So what's more important for South Korea is to have...