* Presbyterian Church of ROK Appeal for Solidarity of Action

Worsening North-South Relations

There has been no sincere attempt on the part of President Lee Myung-Bak to resume dialogue and strengthen diplomatic relations with North Korea. In fact, since he assumed the presidency in 2008, bilateral relations with the North have been severed, aggravating distrust and animosity on the part of the North after the collapse of the Six-Party Talks. 

The political stance of the Lee Myung-Bak government in relation to North Korea, especially on the denuclearization issue, is met with resistance by the North in the form of launching long and short-range missiles. South Korea’s humanitarian aid, such as food and fuel supplies, sits stranded at Incheon Port due to lack of political will of the government to deliver the promised aid to the North. The worsening relations between North and South have brought the tourism business in the Keumgang Mountains in the North to a halt and threaten the South Korean manufacturing businesses in Gaesong with closure.

The peace and reunification initiatives of the previous two administrations have been nullified. The attitude of the Lee Myung-Bak government towards the North has alienated the civil-liberty movements around the world that are involved in peace and reunification programs in the North. 

The additional sanctions imposed by the UN on North Korea are driving the people of North Korea into further suffering and death. The reduction of food aid to North Korea from South Korea and the international agencies endangers the lives of millions of North Koreans.

29th July 2009.