Government: Fourth Round of Six-Party Talks Is Start of Permanent Peace on Korean Peninsula

The government and both the ruling and opposition parties unanimously assessed the conclusion of the latest round of six-party talks optimistically, saying that it created a new opportunity for the resolution of the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young, who heads the National Security Council, said on September 19, “The adoption of a joint statement at the six-party talks is a starting point toward dismantling the cold-war structure on the Korean Peninsula, and we have just made the first great stride toward denuclearizing and establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

Shortly after the conclusion of the six-party talks on September 19, the Minister had a press conference at the Office of The South-North Dialogue, Samcheong Dong, Jongno Gu, Seoul. He said, “The conclusion of the six-party talks will open the way to a significant ease of tension between the two Koreas.” He added, “My expectation is that peace talks will start soon.”

He went on to say, “China’s contribution, along with the South Korean government’s ‘important proposal’ played a critical role in the conclusion of the six-party talks.” He argued, “This is historically meaningful in that we made a determination at a fork in the road of peace and crisis and eventually pulled off the conclusion of the talks. This is a victory for Korean diplomacy.”

Kim Man-soo, the spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae, issued a statement on the same day, saying, “The adoption of a joint statement at the fourth round of the six-party talks is viewed as having created a significant breakthrough for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. We hope that this will provide an opportunity for making substantive progress toward a resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and an establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

Meanwhile, the government will hold a cabinet meeting on September 20 which will be presided over by President Roh Moo-hyun. The cabinet will be briefed on the details of the conclusion of the six-party talks, including the adoption of the joint-statement, and will have a discussion on follow-up measures.

According to Spokesperson Kim, after hearing the news of the six-party talks’ conclusion by phone from Minister Chung, President Roh congratulated the government and in particular, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki-moon, who is currently in New York, and the South Korean delegation to the Beijing six-party talks for their efforts.

Hyung-June Park lovesong@donga.com credo@donga.com