Speaking as a long-term member of the Democratic Labor Party, under whose banner he was a two-time candidate for the South Korean presidency, National Assembly representative Kwon Young-gil gave a frank and critical assessment of the Bush administration's North Korea policy. Based on his meetings with officials of the Bush administration and members of the U.S. Congress, he minced no words in expressing his dismay that regime change in North Korea continues to be a fixation among many in Washington. Rejecting this option as misguided and unworkable, as well as incompatible with the wishes of the majority of South Koreans, Representative Kwon cautioned that U.S.-ROK relations would be irrevocably damaged if the Bush administration continues on this course. He also raised serious reservations about the future role of the U.S. Forces in Korea, especially in terms of their potential involvement in regional conflicts that could place them at odds with the policy objectives of the ROK government.

Friday, March 11, 2005

About the Speaker

Kwon Young-gil is a member of the Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee of the Republic of Korea National Assembly. The labor activist-turned-politician is a two-time candidate for the South Korean presidency and a leading figure in the Democratic Labor Party. Prior to his political career, Kwon headed several labor organizations, including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the Korean Council of Trade Union Representatives, the Korea Congress of Independent Industrial Trade Union Federations (KCIIF), and the Korean Federation of Media Industry Labor Unions. Kwon also worked as a journalist for the Daehan Newspaper and Seoul Newspaper before taking over as acting president for the Daehan Newspaper Union. Kwon earned a B.S. at the Seoul National University College of Agriculture and an M.A. at the Paris Second University School of Journalism in France.