By the Associated Press
December 20, 2007
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- President-elect Lee Myung-bak said Thursday he would not shy from criticizing North Korea's authoritarian regime, ending a taboo by a decade of liberal South Korean leaders who have aggressively sought closer ties with Pyongyang.
Lee, who won a landslide victory in Wednesday's vote, represents the conservative opposition Grand National Party that has been heavily critical of the South's engagement policy toward the North.
The new leader, a pragmatic former Hyundai CEO, is considered less hard-line, although he has called for stricter reciprocity from Pyongyang for Seoul's aid.
''I think unconditionally avoiding criticism of North Korea would not be appropriate,'' Lee told a news conference the day after the election. ''If we try to point out North Korea's shortcomings, with affection, I think that would make North Korean society healthier.''
Lee also urged North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program and said Seoul would open normal trade only after Pyongyang disarms.
''The most important thing is for North Korea to get rid of its nuclear weapons,'' he said. ''Full-fledged economic exchanges can start after North Korea dismantles its nuclear weapons.''
The North this year began disabling its main nuclear facility under an international accord with the U.S. and other countries -- the first time Pyongyang has scaled back its development of atomic weapons. North Korea has promised to declare all its nuclear programs by the end of the year that will be eventually dismantled.
Lee won 48.7 percent of the Wednesday vote with the largest margin of victory ever in a South Korean presidential election -- besting his closest rival by more than 22 percent.
Under the past two liberal presidents, South Korea had failed to publicly raise human rights problems in North Korea out of concern its criticism may anger Pyongyang and complicate reconciliation between the countries that remain technically at war. The 1950-53 Korean War ended with a cease-fire that has never been replaced by a peace treaty.
The two Koreas embarked on unprecedented rapprochement after their leaders met for their first-ever summit in 2000, and the South is now North Korea's No. 2 trade partner after communist ally China.
The South also has been a main food donor for the impoverished North, but international monitors have raised questions about its ability to verify if aid gets to the needy and is not diverted to the military.
Later Thursday, Lee spoke by phone with President Bush, pledging to strengthen relations with Washington and work together to resolve the standoff over North Korea's nuclear programs, Lee's office said in a statement.
During the seven-minute conversation, Bush congratulated Lee on his election and stressed the importance of making the Korean peninsula free of nuclear threats and taking a stern attitude on Pyongyang to achieve that goal, the statement said.
Lee accepted an invitation from Bush to visit the U.S., the statement said.
Earlier, Lee told U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow he thought ''Korea-U.S. relations lacked trust a bit for the past five years'' and that he hoped that would change.
Lee earned his victory on a wave of discontent for incumbent President Roh Moo-hyun, whom many believe bungled the economy and dragged down the Asian nation's rapid growth.
Voters also appeared willing to overlook accusations of ethical lapses that dogged Lee throughout his campaign. Just days before the vote, the parliament approved an independent counsel investigation into alleged stock manipulation by Lee that is to be completed before the Feb. 25 inauguration.
Lee has said he will step down if found at fault.
Kang Jae-sup, chairman of Lee's Grand National Party, asked Roh on Thursday in a radio interview to veto the independent counsel bill to allow for a smooth transition of power.
Presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said the request has not yet been discussed. Another spokesman, Oh Young-jin, noted Roh had earlier expressed his intention to sign the bill.
Lee's main campaign promise was labeled the ''747'' pledge -- promising to raise annual growth to 7 percent, double the country's per capita income to $40,000 and lift South Korea to among the world's top seven economies.
Lee said Thursday he would court foreign investment and ''foster an environment where companies can operate freely.''
''The atmosphere was anti-business and anti-corporate so that companies were reluctant to invest,'' he said of his liberal predecessors.
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Associated Press writers Jae-soon Chang, Hyung-jin Kim and Kwang-tae Kim contributed to this report.
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