Two Koreas Work Together To Avoid Nuclear War on Korean Peninsular

The 11th inter-Korean ministerial meeting, which will last for four days, began on July 9 at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul. The North Korean delegation, led by Senior Cabinet Councilor Kim Ryong-song, arrived at Incheon International Airport via Beijing. On their arrival, Kim Ryong-song issued a statement saying, “Clouds over a possible nuclear war are gathering over the Korean Peninsular. When facing difficulties, the two Koreas should work together to avoid another war on the Korean Peninsular according to the spirit of the historic inter-Korean summit.”

During the four-day talks, the government is expected to persuade the North to accept multilateral nuclear talks and propose a second round of inter-Korean defense minister talks on which the two Koreas agreed last November as part of its efforts to prevent another war on the Korean Peninsular and build mutual military confidence.

The North Korean delegation included four other senior officials, along with Senior Cabinet Councilor Kim Ryong-song. Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun, South Korean chief negotiator, invited the North Korean delegation to a dinner party after holding a meeting with Senior Cabinet Councilor Kim. The full-scale ministerial talks will be held for two days from July 10 to 11.

Seung-Ryun Kim srkim@donga.com