Meeting Hit Snag over Difference of South and North Regarding North`s Nuclear Program

In the afternoon of Oct. 22nd, the last day of the 8th minister-level talks between the two Koreas, North and South held a series of chief representatives` talks. During the talks, they discussed whether to include in the joint press release a statement referring to the nuclear weapons program of North.

South strongly demanded, to relieve the concerns of the world, that the release should include North`s explanation of its nuclear program and promise to comply with the 1994 arms control accord. But North reportedly insisted on refusing to include those statements.

Unification Minister Chong Sae-hyun, the chief delegate of South, held a person-to-person meeting with his counterpart, Kim Young-sung in the afternoon. In the meeting, Chong reportedly pressured Kim by saying, "If North fails to show a change, we will return to Seoul without issuing any statement at all." But Kim repeated its position that if the United States changes its hostile attitude toward North, it could resume talks about this matter.

It was also reported that instead of specific reference like North`s development of nuclear weapons, it insisted on using abstract ones like "concerns about problems caused by the surrounding situations."

One delegate of South stressed, "If North fails to accept our demands, it would be fair to say that this meeting came to a deadlock. The success of this meeting depends on the will of the powerful men of North."

But another delegate cautions that it is too early to exclude any possibility of a deal. North, which would not even mention the nuclear issue, is now showing a little improved attitude. North responses positively to South`s demand for compliance with international agreements. Thus, he says, it could be possible to cut a deal at the last moment.

In the meanwhile, Cho Myong-gyun, a high-ranking official of South in charge of exchange with North, said that North would announce its new law concerning the Kaesung industrial complex early next month. North is considering the level of freedom in the complex as that guaranteed in the Shinuijoo economic zone.

Dong-Ki Sung esprit@donga.com