DPRK, ROK Foreign Ministers Meet in BangkokForeign ministers from the two sides of the Korean Peninsula appreciated the smooth progress in the follow-up measures to implement the South-North Joint Declaration, according to a press release from the Republic of Korea (ROK) received in Bangkok Wednesday.During the first-ever formal meeting of foreign ministers in over 50 years, Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and his counterpart Lee Joung-binn from the Republic of Korea (ROK) hailed the significance of the declaration, which was reached at the Inter-Korea summit in June, it said. They agreed that the historic summit between President Kim Dae-jung of the ROK and Defense Committee Chairman Kim Jong-il of the DPRK carries a great deal of significance as a milestone in improving mutual understanding and trust, advancing inter-Korean relations, and realizing peaceful unification on the Korea peninsula. The two ministers also agreed to cooperate on matters of external relations and in the international arena so as to enhance inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation. The foreign ministers are here to attend the 7th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which is to be held Thursday. This will be DPRK's first presence at the forum since it was accepted only recently. The ARF is a multilateral forum tackling mainly security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. During his stay here, Paek is also expected to have bilateral talks with a number of countries, some of which do not have diplomatic relations with DPRK. In June, leaders of the two Koreas met in Pyongyang, after which, South Korea began supporting DPRK's bid for ARF membership. |
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