The Lee Myung-bak administration and the Unification Ministry have a
long way to go before they make good grades for relations with the North.
That, at least, was the verdict yesterday of an independent panel of experts
set up to evaluate the performance of the Unification Ministry.
The evaluators said the South Korean government’s efforts to engage North
Korea in social and cultural exchange programs and agricultural
cooperation were “inadequate” last year, and urged the ministry to keep its
ears open to different opinions.
In a report submitted to the National Assembly, the panel graded the
ministry on 36 tasks using a five-level rating scale, ranging from “good” to
“inadequate.”
Twenty independent civilian experts formed the evaluation committee to
assess the level of accomplishments on each task.The committee also looked
at whether policy plans had been properly drawn up and whether they were effectively carried out.
The committee noted that under the Lee administration, the South
government hasn’t approved a single project involving inter-Korean social
and cultural exchanges. In agricultural cooperation, the committee noted
that the government failed to follow up on its pledge from early 2009 that
it would pursue a joint farming project.
Under the conservative Lee government, inter-Korean relations have
soured. Lee suspended unconditional rice and fertilizer aid to the North,
linking aid to Pyongyang’s efforts to denuclearize. Several events have also
dealt blows to inter-Korean ties.
In July 2008, a South Korean tourist at the Mount Kumgang resort north of
the border was shot dead by a North Korean soldier. Kumgang tours have remained suspended ever since.
The North conducted its second nuclear test in May last year and has since
fired a slew of missiles toward South Korean waters. Tensions remain on
the peninsula as South Korea and other allies try to bring the North back to
the stalled six-party talks.
Yesterday’s report acknowledged that deteriorated inter-Korean relations
have had a direct impact on cross-border exchange projects, but still argued
the Lee government should have exerted greater efforts.
“The government was inadequate in its research and in gathering opinions
[from different quarters],” the report read. “There are also opinions that the
government has been reluctant to engage in inter-Korean exchange
projects.
“In building policies in the future, the government needs to reflect a wide
range of opinions from civic groups and experts,” the report added. “It also
needs to strengthen the basis for increased inter-Korean exchange and
cooperation by restructuring related systems.”
The report, however, gave higher marks to the government on other
categories. Five categories - including improving support for families of
South Koreans abducted to the North, upgrading business environment at
the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex, and setting up a support system for
North Korean defectors in the South - received the highest grade.
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