[Editorial] Referendum for what?

At his inter-party summit Monday, President Kim Dae-Jung hinted at the possibility of national referendum on unification formula. This creates no small repercussions. Presidential spokesman Park Jun-Young tried to play down its meaning by saying that the holding of a referendum is a matter in the long distant future, and there is no need to give any special weight to the issue now.

Nevertheless, now that inter-Korean relations are making very sensitive turns, people's curiosities and concerns appear snowballing over President Kim's true intentions on the referendum.

President Kim apparently explained that the federation system as a unification formula requires delegation of powers to the federal government to conduct military and diplomatic affairs, but the loose form of federation does not require such transfer of powers. The President went on further to say that North Korea appears to have abandoned its idea of reunification based on the federal system, and that circumstances may make it necessary for us to hold a referendum on the issue, but he added that this is not a pressing issue for now.

From such statements, we suspect that President Kim may have in mind a referendum on constitutional amendment for reunification formula and process. But, we hardly think that this is a proper time to talk about a referendum on a possible constitutional amendment for important inter-Korean affairs, including the issue of reunification, no matter how far this is an issue in the distant future.

Our national consensus on inter-Korean issues seems clear to indicate that the issue of reunification comes after the building of lasting structure of peace on the peninsula through the process of mutual reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas. For this reason, many people were perplexed to know the real intentions behind the unexpected stipulation of the unification formula in the June 15 Joint Declaration.

Moreover, Pyongyang is lately coming out openly to defend the federation system for the reunification. North Korea's Committee for the Reunification of Fatherland (CRF) declared on October 6 that the North's late leader Kim Il-Sung stated in his 1991 New Year address the formula to gradually accomplish reunification based on the federal system. This formula, according to the CRF, is what Pyongyang meant by the loose form of federation. North Korea's official daily, Rodong Shimun, also backed the CRF's argument in its late issue.

Some may argue that such statements of the North's reunification formula are intended only for Pyongyang's internal propaganda and regimentation.

But, they clearly contradict what President Kim told us to be the North's abandonment of its reunification idea based on the federal system.

This raises anxieties and suspicions in some quarters of our society about our unification issue. Some members of the opposition Grand National Party even go as far as to voice their suspicion that the referendum may be about the federal system of reunification. In order to dispel such suspicions, therefore, it is incumbent upon President Kim to clarify what exactly he had in mind by the referendum he referred to.

President Kim must be aware that criticisms are on the rise to decry that his administration appears just being dragged by the North's intentions as this was made seemingly clear in the process of making decisions on the issue of participation in Pyongyang's 55th foundation anniversary of its Workers' Party. The reason why we should like to draw our special attention to his referendum statement here is very clear: we are worried whether the President may also be dragged by Pyongyang's intention even on reunification issues. He must not give us such an impression.