North Korea issue ignored by presidential hopefuls

 

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, left, and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung / Korea Times file

By Nam Hyun-woo

The issues of handling North Korea's nuclear program and improving inter-Korean relations are losing prominence among presidential hopefuls in South Korea, as heavyweight candidates have not offered specific policy roadmaps in their bids to run in the election slated for next March.

Experts said Thursday this is because inter-Korean relations are currently at an uneasy moment for contenders to roll out their policies, and the South Korean public's interest in North Korea has been drained as the Moon Jae-in administration has shown no concrete outcomes lately despite multiple inter-Korean summits and Washington-Pyongyang talks during its tenure.

In his official declaration to run in the presidential race, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung addressed the North Korea issue only in a single sentence under a subcategory of his economic pledges. He said: "The establishment of the Korean Peninsula Peace Economy System and revitalization of the northern economy will become a big boost for new growth."

In the 14-minute speech by Lee, who is the leading hopeful of the ruling liberal bloc, there was no single mention of North Korea by name, and the only North Korea policy he has disclosed so far is exploiting the economic potential of Pyongyang.

This is in a stark contrast to his previous presidential attempt in 2017, when he was contesting with then-contender Moon in the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) primary. Lee at the time placed his idea of "national interest-centric independent diplomacy" and provided detailed plans to achieve that.

The situation is similar for other contenders who are close to President Moon. Former Prime Ministers Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun, who revealed their presidential bids on Monday and June 17, respectively, mentioned briefly that they will continue former liberal presidents' diplomacy toward North Korea, but did not specify what kind of policies they will pursue to improve inter-Korean relations.

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who is believed to be the leading contender in the conservative bloc, has also yet to provide specific policy ideas related to North Korea.

When declaring his bid, Yoon said, "South Korea should show it is founded upon the common values of civilized countries, so that it can provide predictability to enemies, friends, competitors and partners," but did not elaborate 스포츠토토 . In a following press conference, Yoon also used theoretical rhetoric, saying "North Korea is our main enemy, but we have to cooperate in some aspects which can help establish sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Hwang Kyo-ahn, former prime minister during the previous Park Geun-hye administration, criticized the Moon government's North Korea policy and pledged to build "sustainable peace" during the announcement of his candidacy on July 1, but did not elaborate further.

Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon sits during a TV debate among Democratic Party of Korea presidential contenders in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, July 4. Yonhap

The contenders' moves are in contrast with previous presidential elections. During the 2017 election, Moon and main opposition candidate Hong Joon-pyo both kept North Korea at the center of their pledges. And in the 2012 election, then ruling party candidate Park Geun-hye and Moon each came up with their own North Korea policy roadmaps.

Experts said North Korea issues have become too thorny to touch for both ruling and conservative candidates.

"For contenders from the ruling bloc, it is difficult to evaluate the current administration's North Korea policy, given the slim chance of resuming talks with Pyongyang during Moon's remaining term," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University. "If the ruling bloc presidential hopefuls say they will continue with Moon's North Korea policy and the North instigates provocations during the election period, they may end up being criticized for making the wrong pledges."

Park said the current inter-Korean stalemate is also uneasy for conservative contenders. Though the Moon government has yet to make concrete results toward North Korea's denuclearization, it has at least brought momentum for peace talks. Against this backdrop, a hasty approach to North Korea issues may leave them open to criticisms over their ideological approach, he said.

"In a broader view, the public is not that interested in North Korea issues," Park said. "With the Moon government constantly making offers to the North, the regime is not showing desirable responses. This makes the public tired of North Korea issues. Also, the Moon government's efforts to help North Korea's COVID-19 battle are also pushing the public away from North Korea issues."

President Moon Jae-in, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un raise their hands after signing the Panmunjeom Declaration during their first summit at the border village of Panmunjeom in this April 27, 2018 photo. Yonhap