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Kim Dae-jung Predicted Unification Might Be Realized 2-3 Decades Later
ROK President Kim Dae-jung yesterday predicted unification might be realized in two or three decades.
``We must wait 20 or 30 years before the two Koreas are reunified but the South and North must quickly proceed to reconciliation and cooperation,'' the president said at a luncheon meeting with 190 award winners for their contribution to the prevention of crime, at Chong Wa Dae.
He said it is desirable for the two Koreas to seek unification slowly but reconciliation and cooperation must progress more quickly.
``The South will feel less burdened if the North is well off. If the North's economy is in bad shape, our burden (for unification) will become greater,'' Kim said.
He said even West Germany was unable to predict such a quick materialization of unification. ``The cost of unification was more than Germans had expected,'' the president added.
Kim hoped that North Korea would open an economy modelled after China and Vietnam if it wants to become strong economically.
Kim said, ``Inter-Korean travel and investments must also be made.
``After both sides confirm the homogeneity of the Korean nation, the two Koreas can be reunited two or three decades later.
``During my tenure, I would never seek unification. My objective is to prevent war on the Korean peninsula and to promote inter-Korean exchanges and contacts. Restoring human confidence and cooperation are more important than anything else.''
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