South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, who was to receive the Nobel Peace Prize Sunday for his efforts at reconciliation with North Korea, said he believed in an eventual reunification but predicted it could take decades to achieve the "ultimate dream."
Kim, who was to receive the prestigious prize at a formal award ceremony at Oslo City Hall at 1:00 pm (1200 GMT), told journalists in the Norwegian capital he did not expect to see reunification during his time in office -- maybe not even during his lifetime.
"I do not think this will come about within my term in office, but I do believe that reunification will be realized someday," said Kim, whose presidential term ends in February 2002.
The two Koreas are technically at war, as an armistice ending the 1950-1953 Korean War has yet to be replaced by a permanent peace treaty.
At a watershed summit in June in Pyongyang, the South Korean president and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il agreed to move toward reconciliation and end enmity stemming from the war.
The 75-year-old Nobel laureate stressed that while he was eager to see the two Koreas reunited after more than half a century divided, the reconciliation process would have to progress one step at a time.
A long period of "peaceful co-existence" would have to precede the "ultimate dream" of reunification, he said.
"This is not the stage to be seeking reunification, this is the stage to be seeking peace, exchanging cooperation between South and North Korea," he said.
"Peaceful co-existence must be what we should try to work together toward. After living in such a state maybe for 10 years, 20 years, perhaps even longer, maybe both sides feel safe and comfortable enough in becoming one again and then reunification can be achieved," the Nobel laureate said.
Kim launched his "Sunshine Policy", offering support and assistance to North Korea, after coming to office in 1998. The move followed decades of efforts to bring democracy to his own country and to promote human rights across Asia.
The South Korean leader stressed that there "must not be unification neither through communisation by the North, nor by the absorption of the North by South Korea."
He has previously outlined the three steps which he says are needed to secure enduring peace on the Korean peninsula.
They are an easing of tensions between North and South, improving North Korean relations with South Korea's allies, and Russian, Chinese and European Union approval of any peace treaty.
Calling the Nobel Peace Prize "the beginning of an even greater mission", Kim Dae-Jung reiterated his resolve to push the peace process forward.
He said he was awaiting North Korea's reply to his proposal to resume stalled talks on a peace treaty to replace the decades-old armistice.
Four-way talks, which involved participants in the war including the two Koreas, the United States and China, came to a standstill in August last year.
"It is difficult to say just when such a peace treaty may be signed ... but as far as resumption of the four-party talks are concerned, the US and China are positive."
Kim will receive the Nobel Peace Prize diploma and medal, and nine million Swedish kronor (1.07 million euros, 910,000 dollars), from the chairman of the Nobel Committee, Gunnar Berge, in the presence of Norway's King Harald V.
In a gesture toward his North Korean counterpart, Kim said he wished Kim Jong-Il had shared the prestigious honor with him.
"It would be very good if Chairman Kim were here with me receiving the award together," he said, but acknowledged that the Nobel Committee had honored him for his lifetime struggle for peace.
"The Nobel Peace Prize was given to me in large part for the summit, but not just for that." – OSLO (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
