Harsh talk in US jars with post-war liberal generation
Roh Moo-hyun's refusal yesterday to countenance the overthrow of the North Korean regime highlights the broad gap between the position of the South Korean president's administration and that of hawks in Washington.
While South Korea fosters engagement and seeks gradual transformation in the North, a number of voices in the US appear to be promoting regime change.
Analysts in Seoul point to the apparent sidelining of the chief US negotiator at six-nation nuclear talks, Christopher Hill - widely regarded in South Korea as pragmatic and moderate in his dealings with the North - as one sign of a new, harder line from Washington.
Another has been the US Treasury's imposition of financial sanctions on Macau-based Banco Delta Asia in September. The Treasury says the bank, which undertakes multimillion-dollar transactions on behalf of Pyongyang, was used by North Korean agencies and front companies for currency counterfeiting, money laundering and drug smuggling.
North Korea watchers say agencies and front companies collect hard cash for leader Kim Jong-il, who needs it to maintain the loyalty of Pyongyang's elite.
As such, the US moves have been interpreted by some as early steps in a regime-change strategy.
