A senior South Korean presidential aide said Monday that unification between the two rival Koreas could become a “magic bullet” to a nuclear row and other issues on the Korean Peninsula.
Ju Chul-ki, senior presidential foreign affairs secretary, also said a successful denuclearization of the divided peninsula could give a boost to international efforts to make a world free from nuclear weapons.
“The six-nation talks should be resumed and South and North Korea should pursue direct talks to lay the groundwork for eventual unification of the two Koreas,” Ju said in a session at the World Policy Conference, an annual international meeting, in Seoul.
Ju’s comments came three days after the top nuclear envoys of China and Japan met in Beijing to discuss ways to jump-start the long-stalled talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
Still, Sung Kim, the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy, said Washington won’t resume the nuclear talks unless Pyongyang shows its seriousness about denuclearization.
North Korea, which has conducted three nuclear tests, has shown no signs of giving up its nuclear ambition. The North also views its nuclear programs as a powerful deterrent against what it claims is Washington’s hostile policy toward it.
The six-nation talks, involving South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan, were last held in December 2008.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has made strong pitches for unification in recent months, saying unification would be a “bonanza” for both Koreas as well as a blessing for neighboring countries.
South Korea believes unification would provide the Korean people with a springboard to prosperity by marrying South Korea’s capital and technology with North Korea’s rich natural resources.
However, North Korea has long suspected that Seoul could be plotting to absorb Pyongyang. (Yonhap)