From Staff Reports

North Korea remains an unpredictable — and dangerous — neighbor, while China is pragmatically increasing trade and cultural relations with South Korea.

At least that was the word Dec. 4, when He Beom Kim, consul general of the Atlanta, Ga., consulate for the Republic of Korea.

He addressed “The Republic of Korea, Its Role and Leadership: The New Economies and Politics of the Asia-Pacific” at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center.

The lecture and question-and-answer session that followed — drawing about 75 people — was co-sponsored by the WNC chapter of the World Affairs Council, UNCA’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the university’s department of political science.

Kim was recently promoted to his current position after more than 30 years in government service, including position with Korean embassies in the United States, Great Britain and Canada.

Besides his involvement with a number of South Korean projects and programs with regional businesses and communities, there are also more than 100,000 South Korean expatriates in the Southeast region with which his Atlanta office works.

The WAC noted in a flyer promoting Kim’s address, “As the United States shifts its strategic and economic concerns to the Asia Pacific, it is important to know and understand the concerns, interests, and perspective of one of its more significant member states — a long-term ally, a democratic Asian republic, a modern economic engine and innovator — including its unique culture, history and strengths.”

Kim began by noting that this marked his second visit to Asheville and that he was honored to speak to the WAC.

He noted that, on Dec. 19, “Koreans will go to the polls to elect a new president — and it could be a he or a she.”

 Park Geun-hye, the woman, is the candidate for the Saenuri or New Frontier Party (which now holds power), while Moon Jae-in, her male counterpart, is the candidate for Democratic United.

If Geun-hye is elected, she would be the first female president of South Korea, Kim noted. (Geun-hye, indeed, won the election.)

Regardless of the victor, he said his country “will continue to cherish” its relationship with the U.S., which, Kim added, gave up many lives to defend his country during the Korean War.

Kim noted that, after the war, South Korea “had no resources” and its populace generally lacked industrial training

However, he added with pride that, today, South Korea boasts the 15th-largest economy in the world and ranks as the seventh-largest trading partner with the U.S.

In alluding to the Korean War, Kim said, “The freedom and prosperity that Korea enjoys today did not come easily,” with many South Koreans, Americans and other allies losing their lives in the fight. He said more than 900 soldiers from North Carolina died in the war.

However, the Daily Planet’s subsequent research indicated that Kim’s estimate was overstated, as the N.C. Museum of History reports that 784 North Carolonians died in the Korean War, out of slightly more than 54,000 total U.S. casualties.

He also said that the 2008 global economic crisis pointed to the growing economic power of the Asia-Pacific region, which weathered the disruption better than other areas.

He said Asia-Pacific “has become a great driver” of the world’s economy and accounts for 56 percent of the world’s gross domestic product.

China is the leading Asia-Pacific economy, followed by Japan, which is also the world’s third-leading economy, but he noted that South Korea has several conflicts with Japan.

While there has been much publicity about the dispute between China and Japan over  ownership of a chain of islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku isles, Kim said South Korea also is in an island dispute with Japan — over islets known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

South Korea gained its sovereignty in 1948, Kim said, noting that bad feeling toward Japanese attrocities over the years linger today among South Koreans.

Besides the Dokdo island ownership dispute, Kim said Japan has not — to South Korea’s satisfaction — sufficiently apologized for the enslavement of around 100,000 Asian girls and women — mainly from Korea — who were forced to satisfy the sexual needs of Japanese soldiers during World War II.

They were referred to as “comfort women” and were incarcerated at outposts known as “comfort centers,” he said.

Kim said South Korea is asking Japan to issue “an honest apology” for the abuse of the “comfort women,” noting, “It would be a good first step” in improving relations between the two Asia-Pacific economic powerhouses.

Returning to the topic of South Korea’s development, he said, “If survival is the top priority of any regime,” his country has excelled. “After the (Korean) War, the South embrace an open economy,” while the North isolated itself from the world.

While South Korea has emerged as one of the world’s economic leaders, North Koreans have a per capita income of $960 — 5 percent of the average South Korean’s per capita income, Kim said.

“Despite this economic hardship and absolute need for help from the outside,” North Korea’s government has continued to behave provocatively, keeping itself from receiving the help its people need, he said. Nonetheless, Kim noted that “the South (Korea) will continue to work for peace.

He also noted that, in November, China installed a new leader (Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party), U.S. President Barrack Obama was re-elected to another four-year term and “Japan continues to lean to the right,” politically.

Next, Kim turned to the topic of “the world economic crisis,” noting the “need to find a new driver of economic growth.”

In fact, Korea has transformed itself from a recipient — to a giver — of aid to developing countries. “Every year, we invite about 4,000 people from developing countries for training,” he said.

The main reason for the failure of the global green economy, according to economist Paul Krugman, is that it has reach its limit for now, Kim said.

“It doesn’t signify that environmentalism clashed with economic growth ... Korea will focus on encourating green growth in developing economies.”

He reiterated, “Koreans are mindful of the nations of the world that have helped us.

“Thank you very much for your attention and I wish you all the best. Merry Christmas!” Kim said in concluding his address.

In a question-and-answer session afterward, someone asked, “With the change of leadership in North Korea, do you see better relations between” the two Koreas?

“Perhaps you need a fortune-teller,” Kim quipped, triggering laughter from the audience. “

While it is believed North Korean President Kim Jong-un was educated in schools in Switzerland, “he’s inexperienced. He’s young, so he storngly needs the backing from the military.

They launched a missile this past February. It failed. If the next missle fails, it will be a tremendous embarrassment for him and for North Korea.”

“We have to be cautious in dealing with North Korea,” Kim said.

Someone else asked if the new leadership in China will benefit South Korea.

“I’m a counsel general” — not a China expert,” he quipped with a smile, again promting laughter from the audience. 

More seriously, he said, “China is close to South Korea ... The United States used to be our No. 1 trading partner. Years ago, China surpassed the United States as our No. 1 trading partner. We have to rely on China for imports and exports.”

There’s a growing cultural exchange with China” and South Korea, he said. “So relations will continue to grow between South Korea and China.”

However, “We don’t expect any significant change in terms of foreign policy” with the U.S., he said.

Kim also noted that he has read reports that China dispatched someone to discourage North Korea from firing its last missile — to no avail. “This could be an indication that China’s influence on North Korea” is waning.

For the future, “China, instead of conflict, might try to cooperate with the United States because it has to feed 1.2 billion people.”

A woman asked, “After all of these years, do people still think about unification?”

Flatly, Kim said unification is remains a goal among South Koreans.

However, he said a second question would be if North Korea collapses, who is going to pick up the costs?

Given the income disparity between North and South Koreans, he said, “Putting North Koreans on welfare, the South Korean government would have to pay 10 times the amount” as for the present South Korean welfare system.

“One way is income tax and another is a sales tax ... Another option would be to float a bond,” although Kim admitted he was not sure that would work.

Another woman asked, “How big is the South Korean Army? How much does it cost to keep it viable?”

“About 600,000 (soldiers) are in the regular army,” Kim replied. “I might be wrong” on that being the latest accurate numer. “We’re shifting from conventional weapons to high-tech weapons.

“So we’re in the process of scaling down the size of our regular forces ... Defense spending and education are the two major areas where the tax money goes.” Kim noted that he does not know what the total military budget is.