BY MARY MARTIN
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A symposium on Korea held here May 1 attracted 60 people. Participants at the meeting called on the U.S. government to support peaceful reunification and a permanent peace on the Korean peninsula.

The symposium, part of an annual conference organized by the Korea Church Coalition for Peace, Justice, and Reunification, took place during a breakdown in the "Agreed Framework" negotiations being carried out by the governments of the United States and North Korea, which began Oct. 21, 1994.

This framework calls upon the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to freeze its nuclear program and allow International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) inspections in exchange for improved diplomatic ties with the United States and procurement of a new light-water nuclear reactor for energy use in North Korea. Prior to the accord, the U.S. government threatened to militarily assault North Korea for refusing to allow IAEA inspections of its nuclear program. Then-president Kim Il Sung maintained North Korea had no need or desire to acquire nuclear weapons capability and denounced U.S. belligerence.

An aspect of the Agreed Framework negotiation breakdown has been the insistence by Washington that Pyongyang accept light-water reactor technicians and hardware from South Korea. Harold Sunoo of the American Committee on Korea told the conference that officials of the DPRK had not agreed to this, fearing South Korean technology would be antiquated, unsafe, and inferior to technology available from U.S. or Western European firms.

In his address to the symposium, Thomas Hubbard, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said U.S. policy aimed "to do what we can to bring North Korea into the community of civilized nations." He went on to say that "it is unacceptable to the United States that North Korea become a nuclear power. Our position is that North Korea's nuclear program cannot continue unless under IAEA inspection to make sure it doesn't become a nuclear weapons program. North Koreans have to realize limits on their activities."

His talk drew sharp questions from the audience of Korean- American church coalition members, students, journalists, and others. Asked how Washington's plans for continued joint military exercises with South Korean military forces could possibly help increase trust on the part of the North Koreans Hubbard said, "You are asking should we be fair and honest brokers in relations with both North Korea and South Korea, I say no, that's not realistic - we have an alliance with South Korea, born in blood."

"North Korea, as a society, stands for things we fundamentally oppose," Hubbard answered to another question critical of U.S. policy. "We can't abide a nation that exports materials to the Middle East. It must modify its behavior to have a clear place in the community of nations."

Speakers at the symposium touched on harassment faced by public figures and others who make statements about the DPRK or South Korea that are at variance with U.S. policy.

Kongdon Oh, formerly of the Rand Corp. "think tank" began her presentation by announcing she was a "victim of McCarthyism." She explained she had written an article "posing South Korea's independence and responsibility in the peace process" separate and apart from U.S. interests. She said she was accused by a colleague of disloyalty to the United States and to the Rand Corp.'s client, the Department of Defense, and subsequently asked to resign.  
 
 
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