here is an atmosphere of anticipation and hope in Seoul, especially among the young, who more than anyone push for a peaceful coexistence between the two nations”, said to MISNA Father Dennis Callan, a Divine Word Missionary in South Korea for eight years and many more in Asia, commenting the latest developments of the peace process between the two Koreas.
“Everyone’s eyes are on Pyongyang in these days and the people speak about it as a step in the right direction. For the first time fundamental issues were addressed, such as
denuclearization and aid to the population”, added the missionary.
The first summit since June 2000 and second in 59 years concluded yesterday between North Korean President Kim Kong Il and South Korean Roh Moo-hyun with a joint declaration. An eight-point “Declaration for the Development of North-South Relations and Peace and Prosperity” drawn up after three days of direct talks, in which the two Presidents commit to restoring peace in the peninsula, still separated along the 38th parallel and technically still at war.
“President Roh is at the end of his term and polls on the next elections favor
the opposition, which proposes a policy entirely contrary to dialogue with the Pyongyang regime”, continued Fr. Callan. Fears are that the reunification process may encounter a deadlock over internal political issues and that peace, today at hand, may once again be delayed.
There is an atmosphere of anticipation and hope in Seoul, especially among the young, who more than anyone push for a peaceful coexistence between the two nations
The decision of President Kim Jong Il to dismantle his nuclear facilities, also possible source of atomic weapons, was among the most appreciated in South Korea, which for years has lived in fear of a conflict. “For years the South Koreans have repeated that the regime of the North wouldn’t dare attack them with a hydrogen bomb and that the proclamations made by Kim are mere propaganda. But the threat remains”.
The declaration foresees that the nation’s main reactor of Yongbyon will be neutralized
and shut down by December 31 of this year, and to establish a “special area for peace and cooperation in West Sea” covering Haeju area and waters. The document constitutes a declaration of peace, prefiguring the signing of a treaty that replaces the armistice that in 1953 ended the Korean War, which left over 2.5-million dead and was combated by Chinese volunteers and US forces under UN aegis.
Since then, the stipulation of a peace treaty with the participation of Washington and Beijing has been a priority of North Korean foreign policy, shared for almost a decade by the South, in the prospective of a reunification of the nation. A ‘four-way’ summit with the US and China was also announced in the joint statement. “An important appointment to which the people of both nations look with confidence”, concluded Fr.
Callan.
(From MISNA)