• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

15th North-South Ministerial Talks Open

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

    Seoul, June 22 (KCNA Correspondent) -- The 15th North-South Ministerial Talks were opened in Seoul today. The talks were addressed by the head of the north side and the chief delegate of the south side.
    Chief Cabinet Councilor of the DPRK Kwon Ho Ung, head of the north side, said: We are the companions who should travel by the same reunification boat called "By our nation itself" and reach the destination of a reunified country. To this end we should discard the outdated conception and head for cooperation and help on the basis of the bilateral recognition and respect as members of the same nation.
    He put forward the north side's proposals for the settlement of practical pending issues, underscoring the need for the north and the south to make the talks a beneficial dialogue for substantially solving issues.
    He stressed, first of all, the need to reconfirm the idea of "By our nation itself", the basic spirit of the June 15 joint declaration, and thoroughly embody it in the inter-Korean relations.
    Then he emphasized the necessity for the north and the south to significantly celebrate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the country as a common occasion to promote national reconciliation and unity. In this regard he proposed to dispatch important delegations of the authorities to the August 15 national joint functions to be held in Seoul, arrange the reunions of separated families and relatives at Mt. Kumgang resort and let other separated families and relatives meet with each other facing TV cameras as early as possible on the occasion of the liberation day and stop all forms of smear broadcasting against the other side.
    Then he called on the north and south authorities to directly confirm the illegality and invalidity of the "Ulsa Five-Point Treaty" and jointly cope with Japan's moves to invade Tok Islet and distort history in school textbooks on the occasion of the centenary of the Japanese imperialists' fabrication of the treaty.
    Underlining the need to boost the cooperation between the north and the south to make it substantial on the principle of promoting compatriotism, humanitarianism and prosperity common to the nation, he proposed to form a north-south committee for cooperation in agriculture with vice-ministers as its co-chairmen so as to boost cooperation in agriculture, create a panel for cooperation in fisheries including joint fishing in the West Sea and open talks on cooperation in fisheries as part of inter-Korean cooperation.
    Minister of Unification Jong Tong Yong, chief delegate of the south side, referred to the fact that the joint declaration which calls on the south and the north to have exchange and cooperation and settle the issue of reunification independently, while co-existing with each other in peace is being implemented in a concrete manner.
    On the basis of this success, the south and the north should put an end to the Cold War, make peace firmly settle on the land and achieve the prosperity common to them, he said.
    He put forward a series of proposals reflecting the south side's stand.