South Urges North to Attend Six-way Talks, 2nd Day of Pyongyang Meeting

On the second day of the 12th Inter-Korean ministerial talks, held in Pyongyang, South Korea had urged the North to participate in the second round of the six-way talks, discussing nuclear issues, whereas North Korea has been tackling past scandals of burning its national flag in Seoul last August, which made the situation even more tense.

Unification Minister Jeong Se-Hyun said, “Whatever the fact might be, the report on spent fuel canisters has raised suspicion for the North and has eventually caused disturbance in the Korean Peninsula.” Jeong stressed, “The North must react positively to the upcoming Beijing’s six-way talks for the sake of a peaceful resolution on nuclear issues.”

However, North Korea’s chief negotiator Kim Ryong-Sung retorted, “Nuclear problems are totally up to the United States’ attitude.” A South Korean spokesman and Unification Ministry policy official Shin Un-sang replied, “He refused to mention that during the meeting.” Bringing up an issue of past events such as the South Korean conservatives burning the North Koreans’ national flag during the Independence Day ceremony, Kim asserted, “It is imperative that any insulting actions against North Korea should not happen any longer therefore, the South’s conservative groups must be dissolved.”

Seung-Ryun Kim srkim@donga.com