South Will Propose 2nd Inter-Korean Foreign Minister Meeting

The government is going to propose to the North a second inter-Korean Foreign Ministers meeting during the period of the Foreign Ministers of the 8th Asian Regional Forum (AFR) in Hanoi, Vietnam, at the end of this month.

A government authority revealed that ``the government will deliver, through a diplomatic channel, the South`s intention to hold a second inter-Korean Foreign Minister meeting to North Korean Foreign Minister Baik Nam-Soon. Regarding the recent moves of the Inter-Korean relationship and the North-U.S. relationship, [the government] expects a positive response from the North.``

At the second Inter-Korean Foreign Minister meeting, the government is likely to discuss the expansion of the cooperating channels between the both Koreas` diplomatic missions abroad and the measures for the inter-Korean cooperation in the international organizations. The government authority said that ``the meeting of the Inter-Korean Foreign Ministers is hopefully held on July 24 a day before the ARF Foreign Ministers meeting on July 25.``

Previously, at the Supreme Official Meeting(SOM) of the ARF in Hanoi, May, Choi Young-Jin the chief of the delegation, delivered an unofficial proposal to Ri Yong-Ho Councilor in charge of confidence building measures at the North’s Foreign.

Meanwhile, Baik Nam-Soon North Korean Foreign Minister will visit China to meet with the Foreign Ministers of China and Russian in addition to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Both Koreas agreed on `the mutual cooperation for the Foreign affairs in the international society` at the meeting of the first Inter-Korean Foreign Ministers Meeting on July 26 last year between former Foreign Minister Lee Jung-Bin and the North Foreign Minister Baik Nam-Soon.

Kim Young-Sik spear@donga.com