A secret £320 million payment to bring about a summit between the two Korean nations was not a bribe, but an "expression of brotherly love", said the North yesterday in its first comment on the scandal in the South's capital Seoul. Revelations of the payments by a subsidiary of the South Korean conglomerate Hyundai have led to calls for the former president, Kim Dae-jung, to hand back the Nobel peace prize he was awarded after the summit, and even to be prosecuted. A vote by the National Assembly to order a special inquiry into the payments overshadowed the assumption of power two weeks ago by Mr Kim's successor, Roh Moo-hyun, who supports the so-called Moonshine Sunshine policy of détente with the North.
| I think we can safely dispense with regarding the Nobel Peace Prize as carrying anything resembling prestige. Perhaps it should either be retired, or not awarded to anyone for any action within the previous 20 years. |
The North issued a statement saying: "Hyundai's co-operation deserves the nation's appreciation. This should be regarded as our expression of brotherly love which cannot be purchased with any amount of money."
| "But which wouldn't have been forthcoming without a hefty payment..." |
The money, of which £120 million was paid immediately preceding the summit in 2000, won Hyundai exclusive rights to negotiate business deals with the North, including running tourist trips to Mount Kumgang, just north of the border, and an industrial park in the city of Kaesong.
"Hey, Kim! Hyundai's got a factory at Kaesong, but they expect us to work for peanuts."
"Mmmmm... Peanuts!" |
The statement appears to be an attempt to persuade President Roh to veto the inquiry, which his supporters have said will damage further attempts to improve relations. The Sunshine policy rests on the principle that the key to long-term peace is a calming of the North's traditional paranoia by business ties, transport links and reunions of families separated by the country's 50-year division. The statement also focused on a key theme from Pyongyang — that the obstacle to reunification is not its policies, but American aggression. "The US should admit its despicable crime and stop inciting North-South confrontation at once," it said.
Anyone else thinking of Gollum from Lord of the Rings? |