In the last month, the White House has assumed an openly hostile stance towards the government in north Korea, curtailing diplomatic contacts, showing little enthusiasm for recent agreements, and stepping up Washington's ongoing propaganda offensive a notch. Kim's spokesperson, Park Joon Young, expressed this unease at a news conference in mid-February. And that outweighs considerations of whether we give more or take more.
Peace is the most important thing.
The statement reflects the fact that the wealthy capitalist class in the south, which has grown up only over the past four decades, knows it would be severely damaged, if not overthrown, in a war with the north. The ambassador was referring to talks and agreements over the past half-decade opening up limited trade and diplomatic links between Washington and Seoul, on the one hand, and Pyongyang on the other. These warnings and appeals to the Bush administration from the capitalist class in south Korea come amidst a deepening economic crisis in the country and resistance by unionists to company attacks, such as the protests by thousands of auto workers at the Daewoo car manufacturer, in face of layoffs and concession demands by the employers. Some of the nervousness among south Korean ruling figures comes as a result of the determination of the government and people of the workers state in north Korea to press for reunification of the country and implementation of accords reached with Washington over the past several years. Korea has been divided since 1953, at the end of the imperialist military assault aimed at reversing the socialist revolution underway in the country.