President-elect Thinks More Practical NK Policy

It became known on Jan 13th that Lee Myung-bak had asked Christopher Hill that the US tried harder to dissipate North Korea’s concern over a regime-change through more active dialogue, during his meeting with the US nuclear negotiator on Jan 10th.

Seperately when he met with US Ambassador Alexander Vershbow recently, he is said to have told him “I am aware of my North Korean policy not being enough to encourage the North to openness,” and “to drive the North to openness, the North should not be worried over sustaining its regime, and the key is in the US hand.

An official close to the president-elect said “Lee seems to think that the current government’s prime North Korean policies such as seeking a declaration of an end to the Korean war or holding a summit meeting between the four major powers are not practical, thus do not mean much.... he will bring up more practical measures after his first summit meeting with President Bush in March or April.”