[USFK Forums] Scoreless draw in Koreas' talks [JoongAng Daily]

[C. Y. Lee]

[Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Saturday, December 17, 2005]

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Scoreless draw in Koreas’ talks

The JoongAng Daily, December 17, 2005 ㅡ Concluding the latest round of inter-Korean ministerial talks in Jeju, talks that were extended a day to try to resolve disputes over the communique that would summarize their negotiations, the two Koreas could agree on little more than scheduling a separated family reunion in March.

The press statement the two delegations finally agreed on yesterday contained nine points but little of any substance. The statement reaffirmed the contents of the September joint statement of the six-nation nuclear talks and promised cooperation in resolving the nuclear issue peacefully.

The two Koreas also agreed to recognize each others ideology and governing system, but the statement did not deal directly with Pyongyang’s complaints about Seoul’s restrictions on travel by its citizens in the North and where they could visit while there.

And although the two sides agreed to consider military-to-military talks “at the earliest possible date next year,” that language has been seen before and not yet acted upon. North Korea, as it has in the past, insisted on wording that said its government would “propose” meeting dates for such talks to its own military.

The statement also reaffirmed the two Koreas’ desire for more economic cooperation, more development projects at an inter-Korean industrial park in Kaesong, North Korea, and test runs of the newly restored but still unused cross-border rail links.

One important issue for Seoul, repatriation of prisoners of war and kidnapped civilians, was conspicuously missing from the joint statement. The two sides scheduled Red Cross talks in February and a video conference reunion of separated families in late February. The digital reunion event will be the fourth of its kind.

The next round of face-to-face family reunions will be held at North Korea’s Mount Kumgang resort in late March.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and Kwon Ho-ung, his North Korean counterpart, also agreed to hold the next round of ministerial talks in Pyongyang. The 18th round of the meetings is scheduled from March 28 to 31.


by Ser Myo-ja