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NORTH KOREA THIS WEEK NO. 474 (November 15, 2007)
*** TOPIC OF THE WEEK
Prime Ministers of Divided Koreas Meet for First Time in 15 Years
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South and North Korea opened three-day prime ministerial talks in Seoul on Nov. 14 to discuss major inter-Korean affairs, particularly implementation of measures to follow up on the landmark agreement at their recent summit.
In the summit talks in early October, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il agreed to expand two-way cooperation in various fields and improve military relations.
North Korean Premier of the Cabinet Kim Yong-il and 42 other officials arrived on a direct flight by North Korea's Air Koryo shortly after 11 a.m. at Gimpo International Airport, where they were greeted by Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung, Seoul's point man on North Korea.
"I am glad to see you," Kim told the South Korean minister before the two headed to the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill hotel, the venue for the three-day talks in eastern Seoul. Kim, 63, is the first North Korean prime minister to visit South Korea in 15 years.
Upon arrival, the North Korean delegation released a statement that read, "No matter how great an agreement is, it is nothing but an empty piece of paper if it is not implemented... We will put all our efforts into discussing, resolving and sealing a constructive plan to implement the summit agreement."
In a rare dispatch from Seoul, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported the opening of the prime ministerial talks aimed at boosting economic ties and cooperation between the Koreas.
At the start of the first plenary meeting, the North Korean premier vowed to make the utmost efforts to produce positive results in talks with his South Korean counterpart Han Duck-soo, calling the summit agreement a "milestone" that would open up a new era of peace and reconciliation for the divided Koreas.
The Koreas held eight rounds of prime ministerial talks until 1992 when they signed a historic accord, calling for an end to Cold War hostilities on the Korean Peninsula and for boosting reconciliation. The talks were halted afterwards due to the first crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambition. The venue for this week's talks is where the Koreas signed the landmark accord in 1992.
The prime ministerial talks will focus on ways to implement main agreements reached at the summit. At the October talks, the leaders agreed on various measures that would help ease tension between the Koreas, which technically remain in a state of war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, while expanding inter-Korean economic ties and cooperation.
One of the key agreements from the inter-Korean summit is the establishment of a joint fishing area near the disputed maritime border in the West Sea where the navies of the two countries clashed in 1999 and 2002.
In the talks, the prime ministers are expected to focus on cooperation in economic and construction sectors, rather than military issues. Both sides have excluded military officials from their delegations. Thorny issues on military tension are expected to be handled at defense ministerial talks in late November.
South Korea initially considered including a vice defense minister in its delegation, but decided on its vice culture minister instead since North Korea said it would not send a military figure to the talks.
The two sides have suggested that the talks deal with practical industry projects, rather than security concerns, with North Korea badly in need of South Korea's investment in the modernization of its infrastructure.
"The two sides will be reaching agreements on issues that can be implemented immediately, and for long-term issues that need more consideration, they will suggest the timeline" for more discussions, Unification Minister Lee told reporters on Nov. 12.
Leading the agenda is a proposal to boost activities in the Kaesong industrial complex just north of the demilitarized zone dividing the Koreas. The delegations are expected to agree on launching Internet and cellular phone services in the area. They may also discuss freer access to the complex for South Korean company officials, although the issue will require safety assurances from both militaries.
Tourism will be another main issue at the talks. There was a recent breakthrough when South Korea's Hyundai Group held talks with Pyongyang and produced an agreement to open direct flights next May from Seoul to North Korea's Mt. Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula. Hyundai plans to start tours of historic sites and scenic areas in North Korea's border town of Kaesong from early December.
Top agenda items are also expected to include the construction of joint shipbuilding districts. North Korea's southwestern seaport of Nampho and southeastern port of Wonsan were mentioned as prospective zones for cooperation in the shipbuilding industry during the summit. A South Korean team of government officials and businesspeople visited the sites in early November.
Modernizing North Korea's railways, roads and other infrastructure are also likely to be discussed at the talks, along with developing natural resources in the North. The two sides are also expected to discuss regularizing reunions of families who have been separated since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The talks will also address the creation of a peace zone in the disputed West Sea. The two sides previously agreed to create a joint fishing zone and develop North Korea's Haeju port in order to ease military tensions in western waters. However, the prime ministers are not likely to go into specifics on security issues, which will top the agenda for the Nov. 27-29 defense ministerial talks in Pyongyang.
North Korea is particularly interested in keeping a good relationship with the South, a condition that is essential for starting regional talks to officially end the Korean War, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea specialist at Seoul's Dongguk University. North Korea wants to replace the armistice that ended the 1950-53 conflict with a peace treaty, and the two Korean leaders called for such a treaty in their summit agreement, he said.
"North Korea may be attaching great importance to building momentum to bring forth a joint declaration of the end of the war. Considering that, North Korea would want to have a successful meeting between the prime ministers and to produce a good atmosphere," Koh said.
To bring permanent peace to the peninsula, South and North Korea need to jointly declare the end of the war along with the United States and China, which are signatories to the armistice along with North Korea.
(END)
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