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Strategies & Market Trends : Trader J's Inner Circle -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LTK007 who wrote (46381)	9/3/2001 11:10:25 PM
From: Nicole Bourgault	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 56532

Entire South Korean cabinet resigns Move follows parliamentary vote to dismiss unification minister MSNBC NEWS SERVICES SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 4 — South Korean cabinet ministers tendered their resignations Tuesday, the day after parliament passed a no-confidence motion against the minister in charge of North Korea policy, YTN television reported. YTN QUOTED a presidential Blue House spokesman as saying the ministers offered to resign en masse ahead of a regular cabinet meeting slated for 10 a.m. (9 p.m. ET Monday). Monday, the National Assembly voted 148-119 to dismiss Unification Minister Lim Dong-won, dealing a blow to President Kim Dae-jung and his troubled diplomacy with Pyongyang. Despite the vote to dismiss Lim over his ministry’s approval of a trip to North Korea by left-wing activists last month, the Blue House said Seoul would not alter its “sunshine policy” of engaging Communist Pyongyang. Kim is not obliged by law to respect the National Assembly vote to dismiss Unification Minister Lim Dong-won, whose departure would signal a major defeat for his “sunshine policy” of engaging Communist North Korea. But analysts said the political fallout from ignoring parliament would be immense, adding to the troubles of the beleaguered president and his wobbly coalition government. 148 OF 271 VOTE FOR MOTION Of the 267 votes cast in the 271-member National Assembly, 148 supported the ouster of Lim and 119 wanted to keep him in the post. Lim, a former chief of South Korea’s main intelligence agency, helped arrange an unprecedented meeting in June 2000 between Kim and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. The summit led to a series of exchanges that came to a halt in March amid U.S.-North Korean tension. The motion to oust Lim was introduced by the main opposition Grand National Party, which has accused the government of dispatching aid and making other concessions to North Korea while getting little in return. Lim had come under fierce criticism for his approval of a visit to North Korea by 311 civilian delegates two weeks ago. The delegation of religious, civic and labor activists visited the North to celebrate the anniversary of the Korean peninsula’s 1945 liberation from Japanese colonial rule. During the trip, some delegates allegedly praised the North’s government. Upon their return, seven delegates were arrested on suspicion of violating the South’s anti-communist laws. The timing of the North’s proposal to negotiate — interpreted by opposition leaders and some analysts as an attempt to salvage Lim’s post — was a relief for the South Korean government. “The government welcomes the North Korean proposal, which came following our consistent call for a resumption of dialogue,” said Kim Hong-jae, a spokesman for the Unification Ministry. JIANG IN PYONGYANG The North’s proposal, announced on Radio Pyongyang, came on the eve of a three-day visit to North Korea by Chinese President Jiang Zemin. He arrived in Pyongyang on Monday, and was met at the airport by Kim Jong Il, the North’s media said. Chinese officials have said Jiang will urge North Korea to negotiate with South Korea. Also Monday, North Korea sent a formal copy of its proposal through its liaison office at the border village of Panmunjom. The North’s message, signed by Im Dong Ok, a vice chairman of the state Committee for Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland, was addressed to Unification Minister Lim. The North denied its offer was an attempt to influence South Korean politics. Some South Koreans held out hope that the North Korean proposal to negotiate could lead to more reunions of separated family members. • The arms balance in the world's most militarized region. “I am a bit suspicious about the North’s intentions. But all I hope for now is to be reunited with my sister in the North,” said Kang Jung-il, a 56-year-old businessman. Kang was separated from his 60-year-old sister during the 1950-53 Korean War. The Koreas were partitioned at the end of World War II. Their border remains sealed. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.