Working-level officials of the two Koreas met again on Monday for a second round of talks to discuss details of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung's proposed visit to Pyongyang, unification ministry officials said.
A South Korean delegation led by former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun began talks with their North Korean counterparts at a hotel in the communist state's border town of Kaesong at about 10 a.m., they said.
The former president's visit to Pyongyang will be his second following the one in 2000 during which he held the first-ever inter-Korean summit with the reclusive North Korean leader.
A first meeting on the former president's another trip to the North Korean capital was held in the North's Mount Geumgang on May 16-17. The meeting ended only after the sides agreed that the visit would be taken in the latter half of next month and last for four days.
The South Korean delegates requested that the former president be allowed to use a reconnected inter-Korean railroad for his planned visit, but the North Korean side proposed Kim use a direct flight instead during the meeting, according to Jeong.
The sides are expected to conclude details of Kim's planned visit to Pyongyang at Monday's meeting, including the size of the delegation and detailed itineraries, but the duration of the second meeting has yet to be set.
The meeting follows the North's sudden cancellation of tests of two cross-border railways last week. The former South Korean president wished to use the travel on the line linking Seoul to the North Korean capital Pyongyang during his upcoming visit.
The North said it was unable to conduct the railroad test runs, which had been scheduled for Thursday, until the countries' militaries sign an agreement guaranteeing the safety of people using the cross-border train service.
"As the two sides have fully exchanged opinions on each other's positions and hopes in the last meeting, we will have to reach a comprehensive conclusion," Jeong told reporters before heading to Kaesong. "I think we could draw a conclusion within the day."
He said the issues of fixing the size of the delegation and the travel route are both closely connected with each other. "We need to fine-tune positions today before finalizing the visit plans."
However, officials and experts see scant possibility of the former president traveling by train because of the sudden cancellations of the railroad test runs.
The North's delegation was to be headed by Ri Jong-hyok, vice chairman of the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee.
Seoul, May 29 (Yonhap News)
South and North Koreas discuss details of former president's Pyongyang visit |
