South Korean envoy unable to meet North Korean leader
Joseph Coleman
Associated Press
Published Jan. 29, 2003 NKOR29
SEOUL -- A South Korean envoy who had hoped to try in person to dissuade North Korea's Kim Jong-il from pursuing a nuclear program returned home Wednesday without meeting the reclusive leader, as the North accused Washington of planning a major attack on the Communist country.
South Korea had been optimistic that its delegation, led by presidential envoy Lim Dong-won, would be able to meet the North Korean leader. Instead, Lim was allowed only to meet other high-level officials, Seoul said.
Many in the South view Kim as the only figure in the North who can make any meaningful decision on the nuclear issue. There was no immediate comment from the North, which had not previously confirmed that the delegation would meet Kim.
Lim and his delegation arrived back in Seoul after an 80-minute flight from the North, ending the latest bid by the South to mediate a peaceful end to the crisis over the North's nuclear ambitions. The North insists on direct talks with the United States to resolve the standoff.
In his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, President Bush denounced Kim's government as an oppressive regime that leaves its people "living in fear and starvation" and insisted the United States and other countries would not be "blackmailed" into granting concessions to North Korea because of its nuclear weapons development. But he said the United States would seek a peaceful solution.
While castigating the United States, the North gave elegant treatment to the South Korean delegation. Lim's delegation arrived Monday and was feted at a five-hour banquet. On Tuesday, Lim met with North Korea's No. 2 official, Kim Yong-nam, president of the parliament, as well as Kim Young-sun, a close aide to Kim Jong-il.
South Korean officials said the mission achieved "some degree of success": The delegation conveyed South Korea's anti-nuclear position and heard the North's response. But the real goal had been a meeting with Kim Jong-il. |
