Seokyong Lee/Black Star for Asiaweek Lee Hoi Chang does not want to compromise national security for the sake of talks with the North

'We Did Not Do That Badly'
Lee Hoi Chang on the polls and the future

The biggest winner of the April 13 elections is clear: Grand National Party chairman Lee Hoi Chang. He came under serious political pressure in March when he denied nominations to senior party officials. The move caused some members to form a breakaway party. But Lee prevailed in the end, pulling off an election victory that not even his close advisers had predicted. A few days after the polls, he spoke to Asiaweek's Laxmi Nakarmi on dealing with the North, President Kim's policies and the future course of the GNP. Excerpts from the interview:

Are you satisfied with the election results?
I should say we did not do that badly. We tried to present our case to the people and they gave their verdict.

President Kim Dae Jung has offered to initiate discussions with you on key issues. What is your response?
I believe that any meeting with President Kim should lead to efforts to resolve outstanding issues. He should accept the political framework resulting from the elections. The ruling party is now a minority party. [President Kim] should honestly pursue dialogue and compromise. There shouldn't be any attempt to break the new political framework. The wishes of the people should be wholeheartedly accepted.

You have been cautious in supporting the summit between President Kim and North Korea's Kim Jong Il. Have you changed your mind now?
Whenever North Korea has talked about summit meetings, it has always placed some conditions: the annulment of our national-security laws; an end to the policy coordination between South Korea, Japan and the U.S.; and a guarantee that pro-North sympathizers can engage freely in their activities in South Korea. We want to know whether President Kim accepted any of the above in order to achieve North Korea's acceptance of the summit. Without knowing the details about what transpired prior to their agreement, we would not know what this government is up to.

What conditions would you like to put forward for this summit meeting?
First, North Korea must accept the principle of reciprocity [offer a quid pro quo for the South's assistance]. Second, President Kim should not compromise the security of our people or accept anything that compromises the sovereignty and political system of South Korea. Third, he must receive the National Assembly's approval for any economic aid given to North Korea that is paid for by our taxpayers.

Some analysts say North Korea has used the proceeds from the assistance given by South Korea to strengthen its military, not feed its people. Do you agree?
I am indeed concerned about such a development. I also have my concerns over the real motive behind the summit, since North Korea has expedited negotiations in order for the agreement [on the summit] to be announced three days before the elections. I am even more concerned that North Korea might now think that it has the upper hand and can use the leverage it has over President Kim by having accepted the summit proposal. What I want President Kim to do is to induce North Korea to open its door to the outside world and change its policies.

A few GNP candidates lost as a result of the campaign by civic groups. Are you angry at the civic groups?
[The civic organizations] might have had good intentions, but I do not approve of the way they conducted their campaign. To achieve their goals, they openly violated the laws of the land, and the government has ignored such unlawful acts. We would like to make these violations a major issue when the government begins prosecution of candidates who violated the same election laws. We simply cannot tolerate unlawful behavior by civic groups.

President Kim regretted the continuation of regionalism in Korean politics. Do you agree with him?
No, regionalism is in decline. [President Kim] is saying that the near clean sweep of the southeastern region by us is an indication of regionalism. But the people in the southeast voted for the GNP because they disapproved of his government and are unhappy with his policies. We made this election a midterm referendum on President Kim's administration, and the people have given their verdict.

South Korea now has a two-party system. In order to dilute the power of the GNP, President Kim may be trying to bring the ULD back into a coalition. How do you see this?
It would be a sad mistake on the part of President Kim and the ULD. The people have expressed their disapproval of the coalition and that is the reason why the ULD lost this election. If they try to break the new political framework, the people will not approve of it.

What are your main priorities on economic matters?
We will be starting serious work to reduce the national public debt. We will also try to reduce government intervention in financial and chaebol [conglomerate] reform. There is too much government involvement in these areas.

What about unemployment?
We are studying several policy alternatives to create jobs for those who were laid off during restructuring.

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