Former UN chief Ban mourns death of ex-President Roh, praises his post-Cold War diplomacy
By Park Boram
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday mourned the death of late former President Roh Tae-woo, commending the deceased for his post-Cold War diplomacy and North Korea policy.
Ban paid his respects at the funeral altar for Roh at Seoul National University Hospital in central Seoul earlier in the day. Roh, who served as president from 1988-93, died at age 88 on Tuesday.
"From a career diplomat's point of view, Roh is someone who exponentially broadened the horizon for South Korea's diplomacy," Ban told reporters after his visit to the funeral home. Ban served as the director of the foreign ministry's North America department while Roh was president.
Ban said that it was thanks to Roh's signature Nordpolitik, or Northern Policy, that Seoul forged formal diplomatic ties with more than 40 countries under his presidency, including nations in the communist East-European bloc as well as Cold War enemies, like China.
"It was a very tremendous diplomatic accomplishment," he extolled.
The ex-UN head also positively assessed a series of breakthrough inter-Korean agreements forged under Roh's presidency, including the Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, signed between the two Koreas in 1991.
"They laid the major groundwork for issues pertaining to South and North Korea," Ban said, adding that he was among the five-member South Korean delegation in charge of negotiating the joint declaration with the North.
Ban also revealed that it was under Roh's presidency that Seoul and Washington made the first amendment to their Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The agreement forged in 1966 governs the legal status of the 28,500 American troops stationed on the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.
"Previously, we had no authority to indict American forces accused of violent crimes, such as murder, rape, drug-related crimes or arson, but through the 1991 revision, South Korea became capable of indicting and detaining offenders of nine key crimes until their local trials are completed," Ban noted, calling it an "important recovery of sovereign rights" by South Korea.

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to journalists after paying his respects at the funeral altar of late ex-President Roh Tae-woo at Seoul National University Hospital in central Seoul on Oct. 28, 2021. (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
TXT's new EP contains members' personal experiences of being tempted
-
Support for Ahn doubles after Na quits PPP leadership race: poll
-
TXT's new album sold 1.8 mln copies on 1st day, highest after BTS
-
Yoon's approval rating slips for 3rd week: poll
-
Opposition leader says he will appear again before prosecutors for questioning
-
(LEAD) Most people masked up on 1st day of lifting of mandate rules
-
Nat'l pension anticipated to be fully drained in 2055: NPS
-
S. Korea's gas, coal imports hit record high in 2022: data
-
Support for Ahn doubles after Na quits PPP leadership race: poll
-
(LEAD) Two Chinese warplanes entered KADIZ earlier this week: S. Korean military
-
S. Korea to test-launch new 'high-power' Hyunmoo ballistic missile this week: source
-
S. Korea submits proposal to Turkey on new nuclear power project
-
U.S., S. Korea agree to expand joint military drills, take strong steps against N. Korean provocations
-
China imposes mandatory virus tests for arrivals from S. Korea only in latest protest over curbs
-
S. Korea to demand clarification from top Asian sports body over Russia's Asian Games participation