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Korean Reunification May Take Decades, Kim Dae-jung Says
The winner of the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, predicted on Saturday that the reunification of the North and South of the Korean Peninsula could take decades to achieve, Swedish media reported.
Kim, who is in the Norwegian capital of Oslo for the awards ceremony, was quoted as telling reporters that he doubted the reunification could happen during his term in office, which will end in February 2002.
It may take 10 years, or 20 years, perhaps even longer to achieve the reunification, said Kim.
But he also pointed out that five decades of division on the Korean peninsula after centuries of unity was "an aberration" and reunification was the "ultimate dream."
South Korea will work harder with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to help more separated families get reunions, Kim added.
Kim, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his reconciliation efforts on the Korean peninsula by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in October, will receive 9 million Swedish crowns (929,300 U.S. dollars).
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