(2nd of 3 Parts)
By Fidel V. Ramos
THE building of an enduring peace regime on the Korean Peninsula is in our national interest. The heroic contribution of the Philippines of 5 battalion combat teams to help defend freedom and democracy in the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the height of the shooting war in that country from June, 1950 to July, 1953 is well-appreciated by the South Korean people and officialdom; likewise, earned the admiration of the Free World Allies who participated in that defense.
According to Seoul’s JoongAng Daily (12 September), President Roh Moo-Hyun’s highest priority in the October summit meeting will be to discuss an eventual peace treaty with North Korea. "It’s the key agenda of this summit meeting," Roh told reporters. He also said that at the inter-Korean meeting, there could be an announcement signaling the beginning of the peace negotiation between the two sides. Blue House (South Korea’s Malacañang) spokesman Cheon Ho-Seon amplified that President Roh was speaking generally, but that the summit was likely to be concluded with a joint statement in which the treaty issue would be mentioned.
In September, Roh publicly pushed US President Bush on moving forward with a formal peace treaty after they met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Sydney. Bush snapped back that a treaty could only come if the North fully denuclearized. As early as November last year, Bush offered to replace the current Panmunjom armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953 with a permanent peace treaty under the same conditions.
The Pyongyang summit
In a related development, the ROK Unification Ministry has announced the list of 47 special guests who will form part of the delegation going to Pyongyang to discuss a range of issues, from culture to business, with their North Korean counterparts, in addition to 100 officials. Business executives tapped to join include LG Chairman Koo Bon Moo; religious leaders, scholars and politicians, including Lee Sang-Yul, the head of the Democratic Party’s policy planning committee; Professor Moon Chung-In of Yonsei University who was also part of the delegation during the first inter-Korean summit in 2000; and Dr. Se Ung-Lee, head of Seoul Cyber University, hostvenue of the high-level meeting of University Educators that I attended as Senior Adviser last 10-11 September.
An editorial of The Korea Times (10 September) stated: "A peace regime on the Korean Peninsula is expected to gain momentum as the United States sticks to its conciliatory stance. US President Bush has reaffirmed his willingness to formally end the Korean War and replace the armistice with a peace treaty when the North abandons it nuclear weapons. President Bush made similar remarks during last year’s APEC summit in Hanoi, opening the way for negotiated efforts to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
"Such a US stance has represented a significant change in its Korea policy based on the original hardline policy enunciated when Bush called North Korea one of countries in the ‘Axis of Evil’ in 2002. Then Pyongyang withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 2003, backtracking on its 1994 framework agreement to dismantle its nuclear arms program in return for a light water reactor and security guarantees.
".... The North also can start negotiations with the US and Japan for diplomatic normalization. The replacement of the armistice with a peace treaty will be a symbolic gesture to end the world’s last vestige of the Cold War, and will also be a significant step toward national reconciliation, coexistence and permanent peace."
In his 15 August 62nd Liberation Day speech, Roh said that the inter-Korean summit will enhance the success of the Six-Party Talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, which could emerge as an economic hub of Northeast Asia — if the armistice is converted into a permanent peace treaty and inter-Korean economic cooperation is further strengthened.
Roh further affirmed he will aim to attain gradual but steady progress in inter-Korean relations during his summit with Kim. "I won’t be overzealous at the upcoming summit. I’ll take a step-by-step approach and seek to produce practical progress."
The first summit on 15 June 2000 sparked considerable dialogue between the two Koreas. The second meeting is expected to result in their stronger economic ties, starting in the industrial sector.
Expanding industrial cooperation
Although the unified Gaeseong Industrial Complex has invigorated economic ties, the same cannot be said for trade and investment cooperation. The September, 2007 Korea Policy Review outlined some doable ROK proposals:
First: Opening land routes (instead of just Gaeseong) to reduce logistics costs, leaving more margins for business.
Second: Improving the North’s communication system. The present system seriously undermines the efficiency of all work procedures from beginning to end.
Third: Attracting long-term investment in the North that could contribute to the overall restructuring of its industries. The South should demonstrate it can contribute more than simply taking advantage of the North’s cheap labor.
The two Koreas could seek to develop new zones such as Nampo and Pyongyang which are already well-equipped with basic industrial infrastructure. Further, to intensify their industrial cooperation, companies from the two Koreas need to mingle; to engage in various joint projects through consignment processing, contract business, etc., to include a division of labor within companies. South Korea could provide extra education and training on business management, quality control, and construction standards under a free market economy.
Helping Nokor "internationalize"
Inter-Korean relations can proceed forward only when the North normalizes its relations with the world. This has to be done if the North wishes to resolve its political uncertainty and secure its business arrangements abroad. The Korea Policy Review further opines that the international community will not go easy on the North. The world will require the North to abide by all the general regulations regarding trade, investment and development assistance. While the North is not quite ready to open up its country that far, tough negotiations are likely to follow to persuade Pyongyang toward this direction.
South Korea must support the North’s joining international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization. And, for the North to obtain "Most-Favored-Nation" status from the United States and Japan to normalize trade relations, it needs to conclude bilateral treaties with them.
Concurrently, it is important that the South help the North come up with adequate policies that satisfy US and global trade standards ahead of its concluding any trade deals. The North, on the other hand, should develop its export industries and undertake other bold initiatives for its ultimate benefit. All in all, the South should provide various levels of assistance to help the North open up. This should include economic policy consultations, education about global economics and trade, export marketing, and the establishment of an attractive foreign investment regime.
It is important for both Koreas to put in place a systemic framework to bring to fruition any agreements at the inter-Korean summit. It might be a good idea to expand the mandate of the North-South Economic Cooperation and Promotion Committee – to enable joint projects to prosper. This can start with textiles, and then branch out to other industries, like electronics and household appliances, which the North is most eager to develop.
The Philippine role
The Philippines is one of just a few countries having diplomatic relations with both South and North Korea. Philippine Ambassadors Susan Castrence based in Seoul and Sonia Brady based in Beijing (also concurrently accredited to Pyongyang) are capable career foreign service officers in the two Koreas who can follow-through the diplomatic initiatives of Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo last 15 June during his three-nation visit to South Korea, China, and North Korea. With our willingness to help move the Korean peace process forward to its successful conclusion, even after our chairmanship of ASEAN, the Philippines has a significant role to play.
In my 05 November, 2006 column, "Confidence-Building for Peace on the Korean Peninsula," I wrote: "The admirable people of South Korea, having pulled themselves up painstakingly from the ashes of war to the threshold of modernity and First World status in just 50 years, are worthy of emulation by developing Asia. Their values of industry, self-sacrifice, determination, and teamwork have carried them far, through political upheavals and economic crisis."
In time, under a peaceful and normalized situation in the Korean Peninsula, the same could be said for the people of North Korea. Intensified cooperation between South and North could lead to denuclearization and eventual reunification. Right now, the odds may be stacked up against such optimism. But, the unexpected could happen. Look at the West Germany-East Germany situation at the height of the Cold War. Eventually, both sides were reunited into what is now the Federal Republic of Germany, today’s 3rd largest economy after Japan and the US
Kaya ba natin lahat ito? Kaya kung lahat ay magtutulungan, magsasama-sama, at magkakaisa (Can all this be done? We can do it, if we help each other, stay together, and unite)!
Please send any comments to rpdev@skyinet.net. Copy of this article is available at www.rpdev.org.
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