Govt. Requests Joint-Investigation of Dam Mt.Geumgang from the North.

The North-South Committee for Economic Cooperation and Promotion (CECP), which was stopped after December 2000, will be held from 7th in Seoul.

According to the ministry concerned on 5th, representatives of the South-North is schedule to discuss economic co-operation matters in Seoul from 7th to 10th, as Lim Dong-won, Presidential special envoy for foreign security and unification agreed during his visit to Pyongyang.

In this meeting that is re-opening after 17months, Yun Jin-sik, vice-minister of Finance and Economy will be the chief representative and directors of related ministries like Industry and Resources ministry, Construction and Transportation ministry, Unification ministry and office of Prime Minister will participate.

Representative group of the North, which will be headed by vice-minister of Economy as chief, will arrive at Seoul via Beijing on the 7th morning and attend meeting for three nights and four days.

Government will present joint-investigation on Dam, which is igniting rumors of collapsing as two places at the top of the Dam is caving-in, measures for preventing flood in the downstream area of the Dam and securing water with regard to Dam Mt.Geumgang, in this meeting, therefore, response of the North is being watched out for.

Besides, matters like supporting 300 thousand tons of rice to the North as loan and connecting railway and road link between the South and North, and matters that were discussed in the first meeting, like building up Gaesung Industrial area and supplying electricity, etc, will be discussed mainly.

In addition, effectuation of the fourth agreement of the South-North economic cooperation such as security of investment, liquidation settlement, prevention of double tax and procedure for solving out dispute in order to interchange and co-operate between the North and the South, will be dealt with.

CECP had its first meeting at Pyeong Yang in December 2000, under chief representative Lee Jung-Je, vice-minister of Finance and Economy from South and Park chang–rhun, the first chief of National planning commission from the North.

They had decided to have second meeting in February 2001, however, relations between the South-North worsened due to strong speech of the U.S. President George W.Bush against the North.

On the other hand, the North will send economic inspectors to the South after the second meeting of CECP, if early, within this month and will look around main industrial facilities and middle level companies.

Joong-Hyun Park sanjuck@donga.com