Talks between North and South Korea are always difficult. Even agreeing on an agenda is never easy, and there's always a little war of nerves until the very end. It is very likely that the four-day ministerial level talks starting on Friday will be no different.
These talks are all the more significant for the fact they are the first of their kind this year, and take place at a time when the six party process has been stalled for close to six months. Subsequently there is a lot to talk about, with four particular areas being especially important. The North has to be persuaded of the need to have the six party talks resume, and there needs to be progress on resolving the issue of unrepatriated South Korean POW's and South Korean kidnapped by the North since the end of the Korean War. In addition, these talks are always supposed to make progress in mutually beneficial economic cooperation and confidence building measures between each side's military establishments. Of special note is Unification Minister Lee Jong Seok's "creative thinking" about bold economic assistance in relation to the issue of the kidnapped. We think that as opposed to Japanese style pressure, creating an atmosphere for the North to make the right decision on humanitarian grounds will be results.
Ministerial level talks are the highest level of intra-Korean dialogue, and the mother of all other dialogue formats. The state of ministerial talks represents the state of intra-Korean relations. That is why both sides need to work to make them as fruitful as possible. To begin with, they need to make clear their desire to advance relations. They also need to approach the issues in with a practical mindset, and abandon all obsessions with positioning and all confrontational thinking. Many times items on the agenda were botched when the South was overly mindful of domestic and international opinion, and when the North made unrealistic demands.
Establishing a peace regime on the Korean peninsula and joint prosperity is the common goal of both Koreas and the only road to peaceful reunification. North and South need to cultivate the talks as the key device for guaranteeing that happens, all the more at a time when the political situation in and around the Korean peninsula does not make things easy.
The Hankyoreh, 21 April 2006.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
[Editorial] Ministerial Talks Must Bear Fruit |
