South, North to Hold Red Cross Talks in August


By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter

South and North Korea agreed yesterday to take ``substantial measures’’ to end the North’s nuclear standoff in a peaceful manner with the ultimate goal being the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

``The South and North agreed to take substantial measures to resolve the nuclear problem in a peaceful manner, using dialogue when the atmosphere has been created for the ultimate goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula,’’ they said in a joint press statement.




President Roh Moo-hyun, right, shakes hands with Kwon Ho-ung, North Korean senior Cabinet councilor who is leading the North’s delegation to the 15th round of inter-Korean ministerial talks, while Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, third from left, looks on, at Chong Wa Dae Thursday. Chung heads the South’s delegation.
/ Yonhap

The 12-point statement, signed by South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and North Korea’s Senior Cabinet Councilor Kwon Ho-ung, came at the end of the 15th round of inter-Korean ministerial talks, which kicked off on Tuesday in Seoul.
Kim Chun-sig, spokesman for the South’s delegation, told reporters the ``atmosphere’’ in the statement means a situation when the six-party talks on the North’s nuclear weapons program has resumed and the nations taking part in the process are able to have sincere negotiations.

He added South Korea urged the North to return to the multi-party denuclearization forum next month but the North Korean delegates did not give a specific answer. ``But we believe the North will rejoin the talks as its leader said so.’’

While talking with Chung, who visited Pyongyang last week as the South’s envoy, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said his country would return to the bargaining table as early as July if the United States ``recognizes and respects’’ his regime. Kim even expressed willingness to give up all of its missiles if the U.S. establishes formal diplomatic relations with the North, according to Chung.

North Korea also showed a bold approach by agreeing to put into the joint statement the issue regarding the South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian abductees who are believed to be still in the North, a problem that the North has so far flatly denied.

``The North and South agreed to hold Red Cross talks in August to discuss the humanitarian issues such as the problem concerning those who have gone unaccounted for during the war,’’ Kwon, the chief North Korean delegate, said during the press conference.

In another humanitarian measure, the two sides decided to begin construction of a permanent meeting place for the separated families at the North’s Mt. Kumgang on Aug. 26 and to hold the 11th round of cross-border family reunions around that time.

As part of efforts to ``fully normalize’’ the cross-border talks, the two sides agreed to hold the 16th ministerial talks at the North’s Mt. Paekdu from Sept. 13-16 and the next round of meetings in December in the South.

Confronted alongside the heavily fortified border, the two Koreas also decided to arrange general-level military talks at Mt. Paekdu in the near future. They also agreed to launch working-level fisheries talks in July to prevent accidental naval clashes in the West Sea.

North Korea’s approach was considered quite bold given its previous stances in similar talks in the past, when its delegates vehemently objected to inclusion of any words related to the nuclear issue or such thorny issues as the prisoners of war (POWs).

South Korea responded with humanitarian aid to their poverty-stricken brethren, pledging to provide North Korea with unspecified amounts of food donations. It also decided to allow the North’s civilian vessels to pass through the Cheju Strait.

The North Korean delegates visited the presidential office of Chong Wa Dae at the invitation of President Roh Moo-hyun earlier in the day. They also attended a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan after the press conference. They return home today.

jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr