Expectation of Peace in Korean PeninsulaFollowing is a report dispatched by Our Staff Reporter Wang Linchang from the Republic of Korea (ROK) about people's expectations of peace in the Korean Peninsula.At a time when President Kim Dae Jung is about to set foot on the land of Pyongyang and talks between heads of North and South Korea are being translated into reality, the people of the Republic of Korea (ROK) have expressed in various forms their expectations of the talks. Five major ROK organizations: The Federation of Korean Industries, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korea International Trade Association, the Federation of Small Business Industry Cooperatives, and he Korea Employer's Federation. published a joint press communique before the departure of President Kim Dae Jung, expressing their active support for the North-South Korean summit. And expressing their hope that the two sides can establish mutual trust through the meeting, strengthen economic cooperation between the North and the South and make common efforts to seek the economic development of both sides. Over the past few years, bilateral economic and trade cooperation between the North and the South has been expanding day by day. At present, more than 40 companies, including large ROK enterprises such as Hyundai, Samsung, LG and Daewoo and small and medium-sized enterprises have established or are prepared to set up a total of 38 cooperative projects, involving a total investment of US$225 million. People in the ROK economic circle are expecting that these projects can bring actual economic benefits for the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). What's more, they also expect that the two sides can further strengthen bilateral cooperation in electric power and communication services, awaiting that some day a railway will connect Seoul of the ROK and Wonsan and Kaesong of the DPRK, thereby linking it with Asia's continental bridge. In Lotte Hotel in Seoul, people launched an original activity of charity sales of goods for the purpose of raising funds to be used when North and South Korea are to be reunified in the future. At the opening ribbon-cutting ceremony, what they cut was not a silk ribbon but a section of wire netting, symbolizing the desire of both the North and South Korean people for meeting each other and peaceful reunification. As a result of the split between North and South Korea, relatives living on both sides have long been unable to meet each other. The suffering of parting in life is no less painful than separated by death. According to ROK statistics, up to now, the number of people of the first generation scattered about the ROK during the Korean War came to 1.23 million, most of whom are now in their advanced age of over 60, quite a few of them urgently hope that they can meet their separated relatives in their remaining years. They fervently expect that the present North-South Korean summit could open a direct route for them to meet their relatives. Vice-Unification Minister Yang Yong-shik has recently indicated that in the present inter-Korean summit talks, the ROK side will first integrate the question regarding scattered family members and the issue of economic and trade cooperation with the general topics for discussion at the talks, striving to get these two issues to be resolved through mutual understanding. He gladly told this reporter that he believed the present talks would definitely achieve good results. As the person concerned in reaching the agreement on the inter-Korean talks and the main entourage of Kim Dae Jung's present visit to the North, the South Korean Culture and Tourism Minister Park Jie-won told this reporter excitedly that the holding of the talks in 55 years after the North and South became divided is in itself a tremendous achievement. The handshakes, conversations between and even a photo taken for the two heads of the North and the South will mean contributions made to the Korean Peninsula and world peace, and a best souvenir left for the new millenium. A vice-chairman of the New Millenium Democratic Party International Cooperation Committee said to this reporter that his greatest expectation is that such meetings and talks would continue on. At present, a 180-member ROK delegation headed by Kim Dae Jung are ready to set off, and prepared to get on the airplane bound for Pyongyang on the morning of June 13, an excess of 500 foreign journalists from across the world and the same number of ROK correspondents have gathered together in Seoul, closely watching the arrival of this historic moment. It is the fervent hope of the people that the present meeting and talks between heads of the two sides can make positive contribution to further relaxing the situation in the Korean Peninsula, and to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, as well as in Northeast Asia and the world as a whole. |
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