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17th North-South Ministerial Talks Open

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

    Jeju Island, December 14 (KCNA) -- The 17th north-south ministerial talks opened on Jeju Island Wednesday. Present there from the north side were its delegation headed by Kwon Ho Ung, chief councilor of the Cabinet, and its suite members and from the south side its delegation headed by Jong Tong Yong, minister of Unification, and its suite members.
    The heads of the north and the south delegations made speeches at the talks.
    Kwon Ho Ung said that the 17th ministerial talks should offer an opportunity of reviewing the inter-Korean relations this year and planning on this basis new and significant jobs to be done in the new year. Then he referred to the successes achieved in developing the north-south relations this year. There were deplorable developments that brought disappointment and apprehension to the whole nation, he noted, adding that both sides should draw a serious lesson from them. He advanced the north side's proposal on a series of issues to be solved by the concerted efforts of the north and the south next year.
    First, the north and the south should take decisive measures to pull down the last barriers related to the confrontation of social systems between them in the political field.
    Second, from the new year both sides should stop all the joint military exercises with outside forces to defuse the military tension and achieve durable peace on the Korean Peninsula.
    Third, from the new year both sides should develop the inter-Korean economic cooperation as independent cooperation between compatriots on the principle of separating business from politics free from the nuclear issue and foreign interference.
    Fourth, both sides will hold talks between Red Cross societies on the occasion of the lunar New Year and arrange reunions and video meetings between the separated families and relatives to alleviate their pain and bring pleasure and hope to them.
    Jong Tong Yong said that the new history of the Korean nation began with the historic inter-Korean summit and the publication of the June 15 joint declaration, adding that the joint declaration replaced the inter-Korean relations of antipathy and conflict between compatriots which lasted for more than half a century by those of reconciliation and cooperation.
    Recalling the fact that he visited Pyongyang and was received by leader Kim Jong Il in June, he noted that people and the authorities of the south and the north jointly celebrated the 5th anniversary of the publication of the June 15 joint declaration and the 60th anniversary of August 15 liberation of Korea for the first time in the history of Korea's division.
    Then he put forward the south side's proposal related to the current talks. The talks continue.