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Summary Briefing on the 14th inter-Korean Ministerial Talks

ROK Ministry of Unification
2004-05-08

The 14th inter-Korean ministerial talks were held on May 4-7 in Pyongyang.

- During the meeting, both sides explained their positions and exchanged views in the course of two plenary sessions, two head delegate meetings, and four working-level meetings.

At the conclusion of the talks, both sides agreed to hold talks between military authorities and set the date of the next ministerial meeting at an early time.

During the meeting, the South suggested enhancing peace on the Korean peninsula and promoting substantial development of inter-Korean relations as the central goal and emphasized the urgency of the resolution of the nuclear issue for easing military tension.

- Expressing its regrets for the North¡¯s failure to keep its promise of holding general-level military talks, the South strongly urged the North to convene the meeting in May.

The South also emphasized the need to agree on concrete measures for the resolution of the nuclear issue at the third round of the six-party talks to allay the concerns of the South as well as the international community

In addition, the South proposed the establishment of liaison offices in Seoul and Pyongyang, holding the tenth round reunion of separated families on June 15 in commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the inter-Korean summit, and organizing the inter-Korean Subcommittee on Social and Cultural Cooperation.

On the other hand, the North claimed that they would be ready to discuss those issues only if ROK-US joint military exercises were stopped and the U.S. plan to deploy U.S. Aegis ship in the East Sea were canceled.

- In addition, the North also claimed that the South Korean authorities should not allow North Korean refugees residing in the South to visit the U.S. and further urged the South to stop Internet radio broadcasts.

The South pointed out that those demands by the North would be deemed as an intervention in its internal affairs and that it was time for the North to change its attitudes befitting the new international environment.