[Editorial] Dalai Lama`s visit must be allowed

A discord has been rising between Buddhist leaders and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade(MFAT)concerning the proposed visit by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader, to Korea on Nov. 16.

In an about-face from its earlier announcement for positive support for the Dalai Lama's visit to Korea, the MFAT has requested the visitation preparatory committee to "reconsider the date of the visit."

The reason for such an about-face was due to it being a bad timing, as Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji is expected to make his way to Seoul around that time. However, the Dalai Lama visitation preparatory committee, which is comprised of the Buddhist organization and the lay citizen groups, officially held a ceremony for the invitation and clearly has expressed its will to continue with its original plan.

The Dalai Lama is a Buddhist leader who received the Nobel Prize in 1989. Although he is also a political leader of the exiled Tibetan government, he has done incredible work around the modern world to teach spiritual messages and the mercy of Buddhism to those suffering in modernism.

Although the Dalai Lama's visit to Korea was requested on many previous occasions, the Korean government had rejected all such possibilities, as it could strain the relationship between Korea and China.

The abrupt turn-about by the MFAT seems to have been caused by the statement made by Chinese Ambassador to Korea Wu Da Wei.

"The Dalai Lama's visit to Korea would not lead to severing of the relationship, but. . ." Wu said.

The MFAT may have taken the statement as a threat.

However, the MFAT is fully aware that there isn't any justification for preventing the visit. Examination of other nations that have allowed his visit makes it clear. Most of the 50 nations that the Dalai Lama has visited were nations with diplomatic relationships with China. A great number of those visits came about through the official invitation of the government or the parliament rather than the citizen groups.

The current proposed visit to Korea is through a private organization. His proposed itinerary is filled with seminars and religious ceremonies. Should the government shake in fear to allow even such a limited visit, it would be impossible to escape criticism of Korea being much too condescending to China.

The government's position that the timing could hardly benefit Korea is not without merit. China has been ultra-sensitive when dealing with the Tibetan issue. However, the method through which the MFAT requested the "cooperation" by the preparatory committee was not stately nor their explanation very persuasive. Without much explanation or an alternative offered, the MFAT only requested for a reconsideration of the date for the visit.

According to the statement, it is hard to decipher whether any other time would be acceptable and that the conflict is only limited to this one occasion.

The Dalai Lama's visit to Korea must take place in November. Many Koreans hope to see him, and the Dalai Lama himself greatly hopes to visit South Korea.