South Korea politicians differ on North Korea policy approach

SEOUL, June 15 (UPI) -- South Korea called on the North to give up its nuclear weapons and put an end to provocations on the 16th anniversary of an inter-Korea summit held in Pyongyang.

"The North's acts hurt the spirit of cross-border agreements. It should stop its threat of reckless provocations and abandon nuclear weapons for better ties between the two sides," said Park Soo-jin, Seoul's unification ministry spokesman.

The June 15, 2000, meeting between former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the late Kim Jong Il culminated in a joint declaration that summarized an agreement to work toward reconciliation and economic cooperation.

Ruling and opposition party politicians equally urged North Korea to stop provocations, but the two sides differed on policy approaches on Wednesday.

The minor opposition People's Party co-chairman Ahn Cheol-soo said that sanctions are not sufficient to persuade Pyongyang to rethink its nuclear weapons strategy.

Speaking at a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday, Ahn said it's also not enough to "leave the fate of the country" in the hands of more powerful nations, South Korean news service News 1 reported.

Seoul should instead seek to "convince other countries" and be a leader on North Korea issues, including the reopening of dialogue, Ahn said.

The South Korean government recently turned down an offer to talk from Pyongyang, dismissing the move as "propaganda."

Other opposition party politicians strongly condemned the expedited shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

Yoon Hu-duk, a parliamentarian with the major opposition Minjoo Party, likened the jointly operated factory shutdown to infanticide.

"The Kaesong closure is like a mother who kills her own son," Yoon said, according to local newspaper JoongAng Ilbo.

Around the time of the shutdown, Seoul estimated about $852 million of South Korean investments into North Korea-based factories and infrastructure had been frozen.

The Minjoo Party is the successor to the National Democratic Party of the late Kim Dae-jung, whose "Sunshine Policy" of rapprochement culminated in the historical 2000 summit.