Seoul, Pyongyang agree to hold military talks

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, February 06, 2004

Seoul, Pyongyang agree to hold military talks

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South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed on Feb. 6 at an inter-Korean talk to hold military talks at the earliest possible date to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and build mutual confidence.

But the two sides have not reached agreement on the exact date and site to hold such talks. The last inter-Korean military talks were held in September 2000.

According to South Korean Yonhap News Agency, delegations of the two sides clinched a six-point agreement after overnight negotiations at Shilla Hotel in Seoul before the end of the 13th Inter-Korean Ministerial Meeting Friday.

The two sides agreed at the four-day high-level talks to cooperate in efforts to make a new round of six-nation nuclear talks productive so as to resolve the crisis over DPRK's nuclear arms program peacefully.

Just several hours before the DPRK delegation to the inter-Korean talks arrived here on Tuesday, Pyongyang declared the second round nuclear talks will be resumed on Feb. 25 in Beijing.

The DPRK nuclear issue topped the agenda of discussions of the inter-Korean meetings. During the talks, South Korean Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun, who headed the South Korean delegation, continued to persuade the DPRK to dismantle its nuclear arms program.

While, the DPRK's chief delegate, Kim Ryong Song, reiterated DPRK's long-standing position, calling for US compensation in exchange for the DPRK's freezing of the program.

The two sides also decided to hold a new round of temporary reunions of families separated since the 1950-53 Korean War at the DPRK's Mount Geumgang in late March.

Also agreed were beginning of the first-stage construction of an industrial complex in the DPRK's city of Kaesong as soon as possible and the 14th Inter-Korean Ministerial Meeting will be held in Pyongyang on May 4-7.

However, the two sides failed to reach agreement over such issues as joint measures to prevent flooding around the Imjin River, which flows through the two countries, and the joint entrance of athletes during the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens Olympics in August.

The agreement also not mentioned whether South Korea government will sponsor the Geumgang Mount tour project. The DPRK called on late Wednesday that the South Korean government should provide subsidies to the tour project which is in stagnancy.

And Pyongyang also said it is considering suspending the inter-Korean tour project if the stagnant situation cannot change at early date.

South Korea's Hyundai Group began the cross-border sightseeing tour to the DPRK's near inter-Korean border scenic resort of Geumgang Mountain in November 1998. It has attracted 600,000 travelers so far.

But, due to sharp decrease of tour incoming and operation difficulty of the business group, the Hyundai Group is in substantive debt of tour payment to the DPRK.

The DPRK negotiators were scheduled to leave South Korean for Pyongyang via Beijing later on Feb. 6.

Source: Xinhua

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