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8th North-South Military Working Talks Held

KCNA

    Panmunjom, September 17 (KCNA) -- The 8th North-South military working talks took place at the Thongil House of the north side in Panmunjom on Sept. 17 when the desire for national reunification is growing stronger under the banner of the historic June 15 joint declaration. Participating in the talks were the north side's military working delegation led by Senior Colonel Yu Yong Chol of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces and the south side's military working delegation headed by Colonel Mun Song Muk of the Ministry of National Defence.
    At the talks, the head of the north side's delegation pointed out that the armies of both sides have contributed to boosting the inter-Korean cooperation and exchange by reaching a number of important agreements on the military guarantee through cooperation. The army of the north will as ever sincerely implement the June 15 joint declaration, greatly proud of having reelected Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il chairman of the National Defence Commission, he stressed.
    Noting that the armies of the two sides are tasked to fully guarantee the passage of persons and vehicles through the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) now that the overland tour of Mt. Kumgang, the construction of the Kaesong industrial zone and the project of reconnecting the inter-Korean rail and road links are making brisk headway, he underscored the need to sincerely discuss the issues raised at the talks and make them fruitful so as to bring great joy and hope to the whole nation strongly eager to see the divided land reunified so that the Koreans may freely visit each other.
    He put forward a proposal of the north side after underscoring the need to amend and supplement the tentative agreement on providing a military guarantee for the traffic on the temporary roads to ensure that the main roads the construction of whose beds have been completed are used instead of the existing narrow temporary ones.
    At the talks both sides adopted a supplementary agreement on the temporary roads under the control of the north and the south on the east and west coasts and the change of the portions to be opened on the MDL and exchanged views on military matters of mutual concern.
    The agreement deals with the issue of temporarily using the main roadbeds under the control of the north and the south on the east and west coasts until a new agreement on providing a military guarantee for traffic on both sides' railways and roads is adopted to take effect, the issue of opening the MDL in the portion where the main roadbeds are reconnected and other issues.
    The adoption of the supplementary agreement has opened a prospect of ensuring a more satisfactory passage of persons and vehicles between the north and the south to boost the inter-Korean economic cooperation and exchange.