[Editorial] The South Gives and the North Takes

North Korea held a massive military parade attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to mark the 75th anniversary of the Korean People’s Army in Pyongyang, yesterday. The event featured missiles and rockets on display in 15 years since the 60th anniversary parade in 1992. General Staff member of the KPA Kim Kyok Sik said, “The entire army will defend the leaders of our revolution to the death.” Rodong Sinmun emphasized, “Though we starve today, we need to strengthen our military to have a prosperous future.” Both cases demonstrate that the North Korean leadership is only interested in keeping hold of its regime by using the military regardless of whether or not its people starve.

Unification Minister Lee Jae-jung yesterday said at a lecture to which he was invited by the Korean Chamber of Commerce, “South Korea’s aid toward the North is only about 400 billion won a year, which is equivalent to less than 10,000 won per person. We can’t say we are pouring our money into the North when we are actually giving less than a day’s breakfast (worth of money).” It doesn’t sound like a typical Unification Minister remark. Rather, it sounds like North Korean propaganda. Has Lee has done anything for the poor here in South Korea?

The government decided to give 10 billion won to the management committee of the Gaesong industrial complex and inject 23.4 billion won from the South and North Exchange and Cooperation Fund to build apartment-type factories for free. Nevertheless, South Korean business operating in the complex can order their workers only through North Korean staff representing North Korean workers and cannot complain about the workers’ frequent absences or early departures for the fear of being taken to task for maltreatment.

North Korea went as far as to request a South Korean labor organization pay 100 million won for flight tickets and accommodation in return for sending the North Korean delegation to the South and North Labor Convention scheduled to be held in Ulsan on May 1. As for the issue of the 25 million dollars held in the BDA, the North does nothing, saying, “Only when the money is remitted will we consider the issue resolved.”

North Korea’s brazen attitude is an outcome of our government always eventually accepting North Korea’s audacity. When it comes to aid for the North, the North considers the South as a “dupe” so much so that the North worries about nothing and cares about nothing. Therefore what we see here is a vicious cycle where North Korea’s bad behavior is reinforced by rewards.