New foundations laid for inter-Korean ties

SEOUL - The President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Myung- bak said Monday his administration, often blamed for strained ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has successfully laid new foundations for cross-border relations.

"Some ask if I should restore inter-Korean relations, but I beg to differ on the issue," Lee told a group of editors at local newspapers and broadcasting companies.

"It is the government's position that we need to establish, rather than restore, new relations with North Korea (DPRK), and in this regard, there have been many accomplishments," the president said. "Though it might be invisible, foundations on which inter- Korean relations stand have changed a lot."

Under his administration, Seoul has refused to give in to Pyongyang's threats to shut down the joint industrial complex located in the border town of Kaesong and was able to retake the initiative in the project, Lee said.

On the diplomatic front, the DPRK can no longer bypass and isolate South Korea in its effort to improve ties with the United States, and is well aware that the allies are maintaining close policy coordination, the president added.

"During my presidency, I believe North Korea realized it can no longer pursue the strategy of driving a wedge between South Korea and the US," Lee, a conservative hardliner, said.

The president added he had a chance to hold talks with the DPRK' s leader, but did not want to perpetuate the "conventional and conditional" nature of inter-Korean summits of the past.

"Such meetings could be useful for domestic politics but doesn't help improve inter-Korean relations in a genuine sense," Lee said.

Cross-border ties soured after Lee took office in 2008 with a pledge to toughen up on Pyongyang.

Relations hit the rock bottom in 2010 after two deadly border incidents killed 50 ROK people, prompting the hawkish president to suspend nearly all cross-border exchanges.