Koreas Discuss Economic Cooperation
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The deputy premiers of South and North Korea met in Seoul Tuesday to discuss ways of expanding cross-border economic cooperation as part of the steps to implement the details of the agreement made at the inter-Korean summit in October.
``I think this meeting will give momentum to the summit accords reached during the summit between the leaders of both Koreas,'' North Korea's deputy premier Jon Sung-hun said upon arriving at the Incheon International Airport earlier in the day.
Deputy Prime Minister Kwon O-kyu represents the South Korean delegation at the three-day talks at a Seoul hotel.
``I hope the talks will successfully put the final touches on inter-Korean relations,'' said Kwon, who concurrently serves as the minister of finance and economy.
Regular cross-border cargo railway service and the construction of an inter-Korean business zone near the disputed western waters are among key agenda items on the table.
The two Koreas agreed Sunday on the detailed schedule for the daily cross-border cargo service.
The train, which will run each weekday starting on Dec. 11, will travel to the North Korean station of Bongdong to facilitate transportation of goods to and from the inter-Korean industrial complex in the North's border city of Gaeseong.
The special economic zone will encompass the estuary of the Han River and the North's Haeju port. A few joint fishing areas will be designated around the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, or Yellow Sea, for private vessels from both Koreas and a South Korean-backed industrial complex will be built in the area.
South Korean critics argue the plan could eventually neutralize the NLL, while supporters say it will help ease sea border tensions, given that about 60 percent of North Korean naval forces are stationed in the Haeju region.
The defense ministers of both Koreas failed to set up joint fishing zones in the disputed-ridden waters because of sharp differences over the NLL.
The North rejects recognizing the line, drawn up by the U.S.-led United Nations Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, calling for a redrawing of the line.
The South maintains a firm stance that a rearrangement of the NLL, which has served as the de facto sea border between the two Koreas, is not a subject of discussion, which it sees as a territorial concession.