Minister-level Conference Virtually Broke Down

From October 14 through 17, at the Pyongyang Koyro Hotel, the 12th North and South minister-level conference was held, and North Korea’s nuclear issue broke down without an agreement on the rule for a peaceful settlement of the situation.

North Korea and South Korea both expressed very formally of the matter on the joint report yesterday, saying “North and South Korea will strive for peace and reconciliation and cooperation.” After NK’s nuclear issue was projected last October, the North and South held minister-level conference five times, and this was the first time the peaceful settlement rule on NK’s nuclear issue was not mentioned in the joint report.

North and South Korea will have the Seventh Economic Cooperation Progressive Committee meeting held in Pyongyang at the start of November, and the thirteenth minister-level conference in Seoul next year from February 3-6, leaving the discussions open to the upcoming dialogue.

Chung Sae-hyun, minister of the Ministry of Unification and chief representative of the South, throughout the conference requested, “Please restrain comments that might make the nuclear matter worse.” On October 16, the spokesman of the Foreign Office on the North said, “When the time comes, we will physically open to the public the nuclear deterrent (nuclear weapon).”

The South representatives left yesterday afternoon on a Korean Air chartered plane from Pyongyang Soonan Airport and arrived in Seoul on the direct route through the West Sea.

Seung-Ryun Kim srkim@donga.com