Two Koreas disagree on power survey

South and North Korean officials met in Pyongyang on Thursday to begin talks on a joint survey of the power situation in North Korea, but differences on the role and composition of the survey team presented an initial hurdle to the progress of the meeting.

South Korean chief delegate Ryu Chang-Moo, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy`s councilor on the energy industry, proposed that the two sides appoint respective study teams of seven to 10 members each and have them conduct field surveys on the state of electric power supply in the South and the North alternately.

North Koreans reiterated their demand for the provision of 500,000 kilowatts of power prior to any survey, which they insisted should be limited to examining technical problems involving power transmission.