[Editorial] Military Talks Should Create New Mood

It is encouraging that military talks with North Korea will be held again early next month, after having been suspended since June 2004. It is somewhat unfortunate that a specific date was not settled on, but it is very meaningful nonetheless because it provides an opportunity to get intra-Korean relations back on track. It appears it would also be safe to interpret it as an important sign that North Korea's leadership has started moving to advance relations in the wake of chairman Kim Jong Il's tour of China last month. One hopes the development will soften the mood at a time when the six party talks are stalled because of suspicions that the North has been counterfeiting dollars.

There are major concerns awaiting discussion at talks between military leaders of each side. It was agreed at the first and second round of talks that liaison offices would be established to help prevent accidental confrontations and that propaganda activities along the DMZ would be ceased, but now it is time to seek ways to promote mutual confidence. Establishing and managing a joint fishing area in the West Sea is something that should be postponed no longer. It has been decided that drafting a formal agreement on passage rights so that the rail and road links both sides have been constructing will be able to serve their purpose will handled at working-level talks. One hopes that will be resolved before the visit former president Kim Dae Jung very much wants to make in April.

Much of the reason relations have been stagnate recently is because of the deep-rooted distrust between the two military establishments. There must not be a repeat of the foolishness that delays joint North and South Korean prosperity and the Northeast Asian community initiative because of a failure to overcome that distrust.

The Hankyoreh, 4 February 2006.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]