South Korean Foreign Minister Speaks at IOP

In restructuring its economy, North Korea should follow China's example, the minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Korea said last night.

Traditional and cultural values have made East Asia's continuing transition from communism to capitalism more successful than the economic conversions of certain countries in Eastern Europe, Minister Han Sung-Joo told an audience of about 350.

"China's early economic restructuring stem[s] from a deep-rooted historic and cultural background, which can best be characterized by pragmatism and realism free from ideological constraints," Sung-Joo said at the Kennedy School of Government's ARCO Forum.

In the speech, co-sponsored by the Korean Institute and the Institute of Politics, Sung-Joo encouraged North Korea to recognize and appreciate its cultural similarities to China and Vietnam, other countries emerging from communism.

Sung-Joo said the country should follow the path of gradual economic transformation accompanied by consistency with cultural and philosophical heritage.

"To be durable, like China, all that the North Korean leadership needs is an ability to distinguish between the permanent and the transitional," he said.

Sung-Joo said North Korea's nuclear program was an example of the country's failure to develop a suitable perspective of its role in the post-Cold-War world. He didn't comment further.

He hedged probes about North Korea's armaments, preferring to answer questions concerning ideological issues.

Student were sympathetic to Sung-Joo's reluctance to answer questions concerning international security. "It was obvious that he was constrained by the nature of his position," said Jae Y. Kim '97.

The audience also seemed pleased that Sung-Joo's speech focused upon traditional and regional ideology.

"I think he's very insightful in that he talked about cultural roots, not just political currents," said Steve S. Lim '97. "He heightened my understanding more than just newspapers and magazines do."