[기고]한반도 평화 이끌 대통령을 바란다

나는 12년 전 조지 W 부시의 고향인 미들랜드에 있는 교회들을 대표해 한국을 처음 방문했다. 그 후로 한국에 올 때마다 민주주의와 번영의 성과를 보며 놀라고 있다. 미국은 그들만의 애국심으로 유명하고, 지난 대선 때 논란이 된 ‘미국 예외주의’에 긍지도 갖고 있다. 하지만 나는 한국 관련 현안에 관여하고, 역사를 공부하고, 한국인과 우정을 나누면서 한국이 정말 예외적인 나라라고 생각하게 됐다. 한반도에서 무력충돌을 막고 평화적 대안을 추구하기 위해 한국의 역할이 필요하다는 점에서 한국이 미국보다도 더 예외적이라고 본다.

한국인은 스스로 작은 나라라고 생각할지 모르지만 한국의 성공과 이를 위한 한국인들의 희생은 한반도 평화에 도달할 전략적 방안들을 찾게 해주는 지혜의 원천이다. 북한과의 긴장이 고조되고 강대국들이 개입하려 한다는 뉴스가 나오고 있지만 미국·러시아·중국의 지도자들이 한반도 평화를 위한 최선의 길을 택할 수 있는 주체는 아니다. 그 책임과 권리는 무력충돌이 일어나면 가장 많이 잃게 될 한국인들에게 있다. 긴장 고조나 군사충돌이 아닌 진지한 협상에 의한 안정적 평화로 나아가는 길을 이끌 정치적 의지와 지혜를 가진 대통령을 뽑는 것이 중요한 이유이다.

미국인은 역사의 중대 고비에 엄청난 용기를 보여줬지만 한국인이 가진 수천년 역사와 문화적 뿌리는 없다. 그 점에서 한국인은 차기 대통령과 함께 나갈 국가의 행로를 결정할 더 깊은 지혜와 힘을 갖고 있다. 한국이 미국에서 대선 이후 보이는 분열과 정치적 작동 불능의 길로 나가지 않기를 바란다.

미국의 현재 상황을 초래한 책임은 양대 정당에 있다. 의회 내 협력 부족, 수십억달러를 쏟아부어 잘못된 정보를 제공하는 특수이익집단, 오바마 행정부와 공화당에 대한 좌절감 등이 모두 작용한 결과이다. 하지만 공화당 지도부가 의회와 백악관을 장악하면 변화가 있을 것이라는 약속에도 불구하고 그들이 더 잘할 가능성은 매우 낮아 보인다. 지난해 11월 공화당의 선거 승리에 이은 약속 불이행은 이 나라가 국제무대에서 무엇을 할 수 있는지에 대해 더 많은 좌절감을 낳고 있다. 미국은 세계적으로 5개의 군사충돌에 모두 발을 담그고 있고, 국방비 지출에 더해 국가부채 문제는 미국의 국가안보와 미래에 있어 북한 핵무기의 미 본토 타격 능력보다 더 큰 위험요인이 되고 있다.

대다수 미국인들은, 비록 그것이 미국의 이익을 위한 선제타격이라 하더라도 한반도에서의 또 다른 군사개입을 원치 않는다. 우리는 미국 정부가 역사·지리·문화적 관점에서 이해가 부족한 다른 지역에서 앞장서 영향을 미치고, 정책을 결정하기를 원치 않는다. 한반도에서 어떠한 미국 주도의 군사개입도 지금까지의 다른 국제적 군사개입들보다 더 확실하게 끝낼 수 있으리라는 보장이 없다. 민주·공화 양당 인사들은 ‘테이블 위의 모든 옵션’이 무력충돌로 귀결될 경우 미국의 국가안보와 정치 안정성의 측면에서 군사비 지출과 그 이후의 재정적 약속들을 지탱할 수 없으리라는 심각한 우려를 갖고 있다. 나는 한·미동맹을 강력히 지지한다. 그것은 한국의 평화와 번영의 중요한 기반이었고 북한의 군사행동을 예방하는 역할을 계속 수행해야 한다.

나는 차기 한국 대통령이 한반도의 군사적 충돌 방지에 도움이 되지 않는 과거 정책들과 선을 긋는 데 도움을 줄 수 있는 사람이기를 간절히 바란다. 차기 대통령은 북한의 핵프로그램 진전을 막으려는 국제사회의 접근이 실패했다는 현실을 직시하고 윌리엄 페리 전 미 국방장관이 최근 썼듯이 이 도전과제를 “보고 싶은 대로가 아닌 있는 그대로” 다뤄 나가기를 희망한다.

한국의 새 행정부는 모든 한국인, 우방, 주변국을 한반도 통일에 도움이 되며 모두에게 혜택이 돌아가는 평화와 협력의 새로운 장으로 인도할 수 있어야 한다. 미국은 일방적 행동을 취하는 것이 아니라 이러한 구상에 협력해야 더 많은 것을 얻을 것이다.

대선 이후 한국인들이 한반도에서 무력충돌로 이어지는 행동을 피하고 평화적 해법을 추구하는 것을 우선시함으로써 미국인들에게 좋은 모범을 보여주기를 바란다.

 

데보라 파익스 기고문 원문

I first visited ROK 12 years ago as the representative of churches from President George W. Bush’s hometown of Midland and even though I have been back since then over a dozen times now, each time I return I am still in awe of your amazing country which is a modern day triumph for democracy and prosperity. ROK’s close U.S. ally is known for their own patriotism and taking pride in “American Exceptionalism” which has been   somewhat controversial in our most recent presidential election.   But as I have worked on many issues related to the ROK for the past 17 years, studied your history and developed some of my  most meaningful and treasured friendships  with South Koreans and Korean Americans, I am one American that sees your nation as being truly exceptional even more so than America in  many ways currently that are greatly needed to prevent violent conflict on the Korean Peninsula and pursue a peaceful alternative.

As a patriotic American who  considers  South Korea as my adopted country,  I feel honored and privileged to be here again during this critical time in your history and thank the Kyunghyang Daily for the opportunity to share my thoughts and solidarity with you and  encourage you during these uncertain times to draw upon your rich heritage and incomparable accomplishments which are a model  for the region and the world.   Though you may sometimes view yourselves as a small country,  your past success and the sacrifices you and your ancestors made to achieve it gives you tremendous wisdom that can inspire courage to find strategic ways to take the lead to work for peace on the Korean Peninsula.  As news reports of increasing tensions with your neighbors to the North and international superpowers weigh-in with  their responses, the reality is that it is not leaders from America, Russia or China  who can choose the best way forward for peace on the Korean Peninsula.   This responsibility and right belongs to South Koreans who have the most to gain, or lose, if violent confrontation breaks out as it very well could at anytime.  This is why choosing a head of state who has the political will  and wisdom to lead a path away from escalating tension or a possible military conflict to a stable peace by serious negotiations. We know that a certain road will be unfolding where there is a will to do so.

Americans have demonstrated great courage themselves at critical times in their history but we do not have thousands of years of history and cultural roots that South Koreans have which I believe gives you a deeper wisdom and strength to chart your country’s course under the next administration that you elect to the Blue House.  I sincerely hope  that South Koreans will work hard to do this instead of taking a path of  divisiveness and political dysfunction that you see in the U.S. following our last presidential election. This is not a prudent path for the health of America or her allies.

Both political parties in the U.S. are to blame for this.  Lack of cooperation in our Congress and special interest groups pouring billions of dollars to misinform, frustrations with the Obama administration and the Republican Party’s assurance that they have the answers.  But it is appearing to be very unlikely that the Republican leadership will be able to do any better despite promises that if they were elected and controlled Congress and the White House, things would change. The GOP Republican’s sweeping of the November elections and their subsequent in-ability to succeed in promises made is creating even more frustration that is undermining what our nation will be able to do or finish on the international scene.   The U.S. is being stretched thin across the globe with 5 different military conflicts and our national debt from domestic demands coupled with U.S.  defense and military  is becoming more of risk to American’s national security and our future than the potential of DPRK successfully developing nuclear weapons capability and then actually using this capability to carry out a nuclear strike on American soil.

The vast majority of Americans do not want another military engagement on the Korean Peninsula, even if it is labeled as a preemptive military strike that is in our own U.S. interests.  We do not want our government to take the lead and influence and determine policy and actions in another region again where we are limited in understanding of the historical, geographical and cultural perspectives.   Any American-led military intervention on the Korean Peninsula is at best unpredictable and   could not be finished  with any more certainty than the U.S. previous and current international military interventions. Americans from both political parties have grave concerns that if “all options on the table” results in violent confrontation, our own U.S. national security and political stability cannot sustain the increased military spending and financial commitments for what must come afterwards.   Of course, I strongly support the US-ROK alliance which has been one of the critical bedrocks for the peace and prosperity of ROK and should continue to play a role to prevent any military actions by North Korea. 

As I am concerned about the future of the U.S., I  also have been saddened as I have heard about the political upheaval that South Korea has  experienced  this past year and my sincere hope is that as you elect your next president, he will be someone who can help your citizens  close the door on the past policies that have not, and will not lead the way forward in prudent ways that will prevent military conflict from happening on the peninsula.  My hope is that your next president will be willing to face the reality that the entire international community approach to preventing North Korea from advancing with their nuclear weapons program has been a collective failure and in grasping this reality, then address the challenges “as they are and not as you wish them to be” as the respected former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry recently wrote about in major U.S. news media.

As Koreans, you know these challenges better than anyone outside your country and you and your families are the ones who have the most to lose if the current trajectory moving towards escalation and violent confrontation is not stopped.   It should be and will be the next South Korean who becomes your head of state, not President Trump, President Xi Jiping, or the new UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that can begin to lead in solving the challenges that you face. This is why the special election is so important and necessitates electing leadership with the wisdom and courage to lead the Korean people away from the brink of disaster.  The newly elected leadership of the Republic of Korea should be able to usher all Koreans, friends and neighbors in a new chapter of peace and cooperation that will help unification of Korea and benefit all nations who are stakeholders as well.  The U.S. will gain more by cooperating with this kind of initiative than by taking unilateral action.

I do not claim to know who this man is but I hope to meet with representatives from all the political candidates while I am here to listen and learn and share what I learn with Americans who are also beginning to understand how critical it is that South Korea  elects a president who can lead you in strategic ways towards peace over the next 5 years. My hope is  that after the May 9th election, South Korean voters will set a better example than Americans  are doing now on the importance of uniting and demonstrating “strategic patience” and hard work that is required to face  the many problems that our governments  must solve including the urgency of avoiding actions that can lead to violent confrontation and instead prioritizing seeking a peaceful outcome for the Korean Peninsula.

Deborah Fikes is the Permanent Representative at the United Nations for the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) which has a member constituency of 650 million parishioners  from 131 countries.   She  holds a graduate degree in International Law from Oxford University, United Kingdom and is a Lifetime Member of the Council on Foreign Relations,  Leadership Circle Member of the Arms Control Association, and serves on the Advisory Board of Harvard’s Center for Health and Global Environment.   She is visiting Seoul to speak at the Global Leadership Conference on Reunification on April 25th

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