DATE=8/31/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=KOREAS / TALKS (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-266013
BYLINE=ALISHA RYU
DATELINE=HONG KONG
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: North and South Korea have agreed to arrange
more family reunions and to boost economic
cooperation. But a second round of post-summit
ministerial talks in Pyongyang has failed to reach
agreement on opening a military hotline. V-O-A's
Alisha Ryu says the two sides may keep talking until
Friday.
TEXT: News reports from Pyongyang say the two sides
have agreed to arrange up to three more reunions this
year for families separated since the Korean War.
North and South Korea have also reportedly agreed to
sign accords that would guarantee investment and avoid
double taxation.
But North Korea is said to be reluctant to establish a
military hotline to ease cross-border tensions. South
Korea had stressed that the hotline would be
instrumental in preventing accidental conflicts.
The Korean border remains the world's most heavily
fortified frontier - with nearly two-million troops on
either side.
/// OPT /// The two sides will reportedly try to
bridge differences in order to release a final
statement before the South Korean delegation leaves
Friday. /// END OPT ///
Reports from the talks did not say how North Korea
responded to the issue of South Koreans believed to be
living in the North against their will. The Seoul
government says North Korea is still holding about 300
South Korean prisoners from the Korean War. It also
wants Pyongyang to return 454 South Korean citizens -
mostly fishermen - that South Korea says were abducted
since the end of the war.
The first round of talks, held in Seoul last month,
resulted in several agreements, including the
reopening of border liaison offices and restoring a
cross-border railroad line.
The talks are a follow-up to the June summit accord
that called for reconciliation and cooperation between
the two Koreas. The summit was the first breakthrough
for the two sides since the Korean War ended in an
armed truce in 1953. (SIGNED)
NEB/HK/AR/JO/RAE
31-Aug-2000 08:46 AM EDT (31-Aug-2000 1246 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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