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S. Korea's new leader plans summit with North
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korean President-elect Roh Moo-hyun has told CNN he plans to propose a summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il soon after he takes office in an effort to end the on-going nuclear standoff. Speaking in an exclusive interview with CNN's Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy, Roh said he believed face-to-face dialogue was the only way to resolve the crisis. "We can solve a difficult problem," he said. "It is important to meet in person without any preconditions and have dialogues." Nonetheless Roh, who will be sworn into office February 25, said reaching out could be politically risky. "I will propose to meet with Chairman Kim Jong Il even if I lose face in the eyes of my people, because I value dialogue and I think dialogue is the key," he said. "I don't really care about the form and ceremony of the encounter," said Roh, who is a backer of his predecessor's so-called 'Sunshine Policy' of engagement with Pyongyang. His comments came as both North and South Korea announced that the South's outgoing President, Kim Dae-jung, would be sending an envoy to Pyongyang on January 27 to discuss ways of reaching a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue. (Full story) The president-elect has been invited to visit the United States after he assumes office and said he would be taking the same message to Washington. The Bush administration has taken a much harder line that South Korea on dealing with the North Koreans, saying it is only willing to talk to North Korea on ending its nuclear program but was not willing to enter into any negotiations. "I heard that President Bush is a very frank and candid person," Roh Told CNN, adding: "I am also a very frank and forward person to the point of being called dangerous because I am too frank but I think we can have a candid and frank discussion when we meet each other." North Korean firepowerAt more than a million men under arms, North Korea's army is one of the largest in the world. A massive 70 percent of its force is stationed within 150 km of the border, equipped with an estimated 8,000 artillery units and over 1,000 tanks. These statistics were seemingly not lost on the South's incoming president. "One thing I would like to ask President Bush and the people of the United States to consider is that South Korea lies within a couple of miles of the firing range of North Korea and within a couple of minutes hundreds of thousands of bullets can reach us," said Roh. "This factor should be considered when thinking of the situation," he added. "In relation to Korea we have a better knowledge [than the U.S.] and believe there is room for negotiation. If President Bush and I can talk in person a lot of the differences can be removed." Nonethelss Roh said he believes North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons is being used as a bargaining chip to secure the country's safety and ensure political reforms. Pressure tactics, sanctions, and efforts at regime change would not be wise choices, he said. "Common sense tells us that North Korea will not confront us with its nuclear weapons. I think it is just trying to deter possible attacks from the U.S. by having a nuclear weapon and by guaranteeing its security," he said.
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