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Be Patient With North, Seoul's Kim Urges the U.S.
Amid a flurry of diplomatic maneuvers over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, President Kim Dae Jung, the retiring lion of South Korean politics, advised the United States today to try patience and respect in dealing with the North. "President Reagan talked with the Soviet Union, which his government deemed the empire of evil," Mr. Kim, 76, recalled in a farewell news conference before he steps down next month. "Sometimes you need to talk with the other party, even if you dislike the other party.Even if they don't make any sense and threaten to destroy the world... "I definitely think North Korea should give up its nuclear development," Mr. Kim continued. But he added, "There is no other way but dialogue to settle this issue." Other than by killing them all, of course. Or by causing their government to collapse. Or by walling them off from the rest of the world and letting them eat each other... Asked if he was disappointed that North Korea's Communist leader, Kim Jong Il, never kept his promise to visit South Korea, the president responded evenly: "When we look at past leaders of North Korea, Chairman Kim Jong Il is the most intelligent person. Many leaders of the West who have met Kim Jong Il also share this opinion." That could also be taken as a statement that Kim Il Sung was dumb as a post and Dear Leader's a little brighter, but not much. It also doesn't answer the question, does it? Such glowing praise may open doors for two South Korean envoys who are to arrive in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on Monday carrying a personal letter from President Kim. Yeah. Yeah. Good idea. Fix 'em up with some hookers, too. Just keep them occupied until we're done with Iraq... Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-01-26 |
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