U.S. Accused of Blocking 'Sunshine Policy'
SEOUL — In yet another sign of strained relations between allies, South Korean officials and businesspeople have complained that the United States is thwarting historic reconciliation projects with North Korea to connect railroads and roads through the DMZ.
At issue are the procedures to be followed when crossing the 150-mile-long, 2 1/2-mile-wide demilitarized zone, where the U.S. military has been stationed for half a century as the dominant player in a U.N. mission.
U.S. military officials insist, for example, that they receive the names of all people crossing the DMZ. The North Koreans have refused, insisting that the transportation corridors should not be subject to the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, and that details should be worked out between the North and South alone.
The American military officials maintain that they are merely doing their job upholding the armistice and that the North Koreans are to blame for delays in the projects.
The officials believe that the North Koreans are trying to manipulate the dispute over the transportation corridors to further their long-standing campaign against the U.S. presence in the DMZ. Shortly before Christmas, a North Korean military patrol carried machine guns into one of the new roads through the DMZ in what Americans believe was a deliberate flouting of the rules to test U.S. resolve about the transportation corridors.
Today, the U.S. military reported that North Korean soldiers have stepped up patrols in one area of the DMZ.
"They want to create a division between the United States and the Republic of Korea," said a senior official of the U.N. Command, who asked not to be quoted by name. "They want to show that you don't need a U.S. presence on the peninsula."
The dispute comes at a time when many South Koreans are questioning the U.S. role on the peninsula, and it could further hinder the Bush administration's efforts to forge a consensus on North Korea. The spat has been festering quietly behind the scenes for several months, with South Korean officials not speaking out publicly for fear of adding fresh fuel to the mood of anti-Americanism here.
Last week, Yim Sung Joon, South Korea's national security advisor, voiced concerns to key members of the Bush administration during meetings in Washington, according to a South Korean government official.
