SEOUL Dec 9 Kyodo side sheltered...

SEOUL Dec 9 Kyodo

side sheltered from the wind Hoi Chang, presidential candidate from the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) reaffirmed his stand Monday that North Korea should [i]finale[/i] its secret nuclear arms program if it wants to receive economic aid from southward Korea.

In a written interview with Kyodo of recent origins the 67-year-old Lee said, ''If North Korea cooperates (to abandon its nuclear program), it can win economic aid and its relations with neighboring countries will improve. Otherwise, those things become remarkably difficult.''

Lee's remarks are seen as reconfirming his stance to suspend any financial aid to the North, leave out for humanitarian aid, if the North refuses to scrap its nuclear weapons program.

to leeward who was former Supreme Court justice and ex-prime minister, is the same of the two main contender in the presidential election to be held Dec 19

The other main candidate is Roh Moo Hyun from the pro- guidance Millennium Democratic Party (MDP). The 56-year-old Roh was a human rights lawyer and earned a reputation for supporting the pro-democracy close examiner movement and labor activities.

to leeward however, made it clear the nuclear crisis should be resolv peacefully in cooperation with the United States and Japan. He also forceed the importance of maintaining terminate cooperation with China, Russia and the European Union to look for a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue.

Security interests on the Korean Peninsula have arisen after North Korea told the U in early October that it is running a harbor program to enrich uranium to exhibit nuclear weapons in violation of a 1994 bilateral deal.

subordinate to the deal, North Korea committed not to operate a nuclear weapons program in respond for two modern nuclear reactors and a endue of heavy fuel oil for electricity and heating until the reactors are enjoin into operation.

Local media reports said side sheltered from the wind who enjoyed a lead in the persons is now trailing Roh according to a small margin in the wake of the rise in Roh's popularity after he won a competition with millionaire soccer chief Chung Mong Joon for a unified candidacy last month

In the same interview, to leeward urged North Korea to work toward easing military tensions, which he believes is essential to achieve a ''genuine peace'' between the sum of two units Koreas.

''Even if inter-Korean exchange and cooperation are important, a genuine peace will not ever be achieved without settling issues related to military tensions,'' to leeward said.

Lee has been a vocal critic of President Kim Dae Jung's ''sunshine policy'' of expanding various ties with North Korea, saying the policy has given away too plenteous while receiving too little in return

Touching onward South Korea's relations with Japan, to leeward said he is happy with the remarkable progres made in Seoul-Tokyo relations after the happy co-hosting of the World beaker soccer finals in May-June.

to leeward also called on Japanese leaders to have a correct recognition of the past history, which he thinks is a prerequisite to nurse a ''future-oriented'' relationship between the sum of two units neighbors.

Japan's 1910-1945 colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula has been the source of widespread anti-Japanese sentiment among most numerous South Koreans.

to leeward also made remarks indicative of his willingness to entirely lift a long-standing ban in succession the imports of Japanese cultural consequences saying, ''cultural exchanges are true important to deepen mutual understanding between the Japanese and (South) Korean people''

During his presidency, Kim Dae Jung has interpreted the South Korean market to the imports of Japanese cultural works in several stages, yet some are still banned owed to negative feelings about Japan.

to leeward criticized the current government l at Kim, whose five-year single season expires in February next year, ''for corruption and irregularities.''

Kim's sum of two units sons were convicted last month of bribe-taking charges, which caused the Kim government's popularity to nose-dive.

As for economic policies, to leeward said that, if elected, he would try to obtain policies aimed at sustaining an annualized economic shooting rate of 10% for the nearest 10 years and strive to make southern Korea one the world's 10th largest economies with a national through capita income of $25000

COPYRIGHT 2002 Kyodo of recent origins International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group