Embarking on talks with his South Korean counterpart Han Duck-soo, North Korean Prime Minister Kim Yong-il said the North is eager to make the rare inter-Korean meeting a success. ``We will mobilize all our efforts to successfully implement the Oct. 2-4 Declaration based on the spirit of `between our people,''' he said. He described the declaration as a landmark that laid ground for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.
The premiers' meeting, the first in 15 years, is significant as it is meant to discuss measures to implement the agreements reached between President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in early October. The two Koreas will focus on the creation of a special peace zone in the West Sea, invigorating the Gaeseong Industrial Complex near the border and other details of the declaration. We hope officials will come up with a substantial outcome to promote cooperation and reconciliation.
South Korean officials are advised to refrain from making hasty concessions in a bid to extract tangible results. They should not yield pledges that will inflict a burden on the next government, which will be inaugurated in less than four months. All knotty issues cannot be resolved at once, and many of them need to be addressed by the next government on a gradual basis. Regrettably, however, it seems that the government has been speeding the process to make progress within President Roh's tenure.
The meeting will not deal with the North's nuclear issue only focusing on inter-Korean economic exchanges and cooperation projects. We caution against possible criticism in case the South gives too much assistance without appropriate countermeasures from the North. Military officials were not included in the delegations due to the North's opposition.
Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said military issues will be discussed in inter-Korean defense ministers' meeting slated for Nov. 27. But it is our belief that military talks should have been held earlier to pave the way for the premiers' meeting. In addressing the envisioned setup of a peace zone for mutual fishing in the West Sea, the two sides need to first touch upon the Northern Limit Line (NLL), which has been the de facto sea border between the two Koreas. Further, they are set to discuss development of the Han and Imjin rivers near the demilitarized zone, which needs close consultation between military officials.
There should be agreement on ways of easing cross-border tension as a prerequisite to expanding inter-Korean economic cooperation and exchanges. The government will face growing criticism unless it persuades the North to make concessions on security issues. Previous experience tells us North Korea has been employing adroit strategies in dealing with the South and other nations like the United States, in particular. All negotiations should proceed on a give-and-take basis.