Pyongyang on Monday chimed in on the brewing controversy over a memoir by a former South Korean foreign minister, saying Seoul neither offered consultations nor delivered its position ahead of the 2007 UN vote on North Korean human rights issues.

In its first reaction to the debate, the North virtually refuted the claim in the recently published book by Song Min-soon that the Roh Moo-hyun government had asked Pyongyang’s view before abstaining from voting for the UN resolution.

With about a year left until the presidential election, the account has rekindled an ideological conflict, as former opposition chief Moon Jae-in was involved in the process as the presidential chief of staff. The ruling Saenuri Party has since been criticizing the promising flag bearer of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea for forging “backdoor ties.”
The North’s committee in charge of inter-Korean affairs instead lambasted the conservative camp, calling the accusation a “nasty act of political terror” and another plot to divert public attention such as from a graft scandal involving a friend of President Park Geun-hye.

“To be clear, the South side had neither requested any opinion nor informed us of its plan for abstention,” the committee’s spokesperson was quoted as saying by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The official argued that Park behaved “more of pro-North” during her visit to Pyongyang and meeting with then leader Kim Jong-il in 2002.

Saenuri floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk rebuked the North’s assertion as “false” and an “attempt to save” Moon.

“Even Moon’s side, too, has admitted that there has been some kind of communication between the sides in Singapore (on the sidelines of the ASEAN+3 summit),” Chung said at a meeting of senior party lawmakers.

“What’s most important is facts and reasonable evidence,” he added, referring to the memoir, related diplomatic cables and news reports, and urging Moon to “come clean” about the incident.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry also dismissed the state media report as an “old-fashioned, all too familiar bid” to fuel tension among South Koreans.

“It’s a unilateral claim that carries an impure attempt to stoke strife within our society,” ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said at a regular news briefing.

With the intensifying truth game, Song issued a statement later in the day calling for an end to political conflicts, while urging Moon to “once again recall his memories and records” regarding the actions he had taken in the lead up to the abstention decision.

“He could sort out his position based on the results, which would help finish this political battle,” said the former top diplomat, who now serves as president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

“I hope the consumptive political struggle about the past will not dent debate over the future. It’s time for us to end the fight and begin serious discussions about inter-Korean relations and North Korea policy.”

By Shin Hyon-hee(heeshin@heraldcorp.com)