[USFK Forums] Koreas Discuss Establishment of Joint Fishing Area [Korea Times]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Friday, March 3, 2006

Koreas Discuss Establishment of Joint Fishing Area

Thursday, March 2, 2006
Joint Press Corps & Seo Dong-shinm Staff Reporter

[PHOTO: Unloadable] Maj. Gen. Kim Yong-chol, third from left, chief North Korean delegate to the inter-Korean military talks, speaks during the first session of a two-day meeting at the truce village of Panmunjom, Thursday. /Joint Press Corps

PANMUNJOM _ General-level officers of South and North Korea sat down together on Thursday to discuss measures for easing tensions on waters around the disputed West Sea border and offered the possibility of setting up a joint fishing area there.

On the first day of the two-day military talks, the South Korean delegation led by Maj. Gen. Han Min-gu, chief policymaker of the Defense Ministry, put forward the agenda that also included signing an agreement regarding security-guaranteeing steps on the inter-Korean border.

The South wants necessary security measures to be taken by the militaries of both sides as early as possible around the heavily fortified border, in advance of re-connection of the cross-border railways.

The South's agenda also included installing a direct hotline between the fleet commands of the two Koreas on the West Sea and holding the second round of the defense ministers' talks. The defense ministers of the two Koreas have met only once, in 2000, since the peninsula's division.

North Korean delegates to the talks agreed to comply with the South's agenda, offering to discuss measures for building trust between the two sides, Col. Moon Sung-mook, a South Korean delegate, told reporters after the morning session.

But the North Koreans did not forget to urge the South to drop joint military drills with the United States in the opening speech, according to Moon.

South Korea and the United States, allies forged against the North's possible invasion of the South, are planning usual spring-season joint military exercises this month, dubbed Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration (RSOI), and Foal Eagle.

``But there was no serious dispute over the issue,'' Moon said. ``Thanks to the upgrading of the delegate status, the North Koreans were very active and well-mannered, which created a good atmosphere.''

North Korea proposed to raise the delegate status ahead of the talks, citing the importance of the dialogue and the weight of the agenda. During a briefing held in Seoul later in the day, Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok said he thought the North's proposal was a good sign as it stressed the importance of the talks more than before.

As for the North's taking issue with the ROK-U.S. joint military drills, Lee said it will not become a stumbling block to the talks, adding the North's speech was just a customary statement of principle.

saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr

03-02-2006 17:32


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