Lawmakers began the process of reviewing the transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit Monday in the hope of putting to rest the controversy over former President Roh Moo-hyun’s stance on the Northern Limit Line.
The de facto maritime border between the two Koreas in the West Sea has been a source of contention between the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party. At issue are claims that the late former leader denied its validity during his talks with late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
On Monday, the 10-member review committee -- consisting of five Saenuri Party and five Democratic Party lawmakers -- visited the National Archives in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to pick out materials deemed necessary for viewing from documents selected using the seven key phrases agreed to by the two parties.
The terms are NLL, the Korean term for the NLL, inter-Korean summit, military demarcation line, inter-Korean defense ministerial talks, general-level talks, and equal-distance, equal-area.
Equal-distance, equal-area is the term the DP claims to have been the Roh administration’s condition for establishing a joint fishing area in the West Sea.
The National Archives planned to submit two copies of the materials selected by the committee to the National Assembly as early as Monday.
Access to the recording of the conversation between Roh and Kim, however, will only be granted at the National Archives due to concerns that the file may be damaged.
The committee members are to analyze the materials and submit their findings to the House Steering Committee within 10 days of the documents being made available.
The Saenuri Party has claimed that the National Intelligence Service’s record of the summit revealed last month proves Roh’s concession, while the DP argues the opposite and that the NIS’ actions have been politically motivated.
Regardless of developments to date, both sides appeared confident that their position would be vindicated by the records.
“The NLL is a maritime demarcation line that was upheld with lives, I hope the conclusion is obtained in the near future and provide the opportunity to cement our will to protect our seas,” Rep. Hwang Jin-ha of the Saenuri Party said. Hwang is serving as the ruling party’s communications channel on related issues.
His counterpart Rep. Woo Yoon-keun of the DP also showed confidence in proving his party’s position, saying that the process was “no more than verifying objective facts.” Woo also warned that the contents of the transcript should not be subjected to interpretation.
By Choi He-suk
(cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
