Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
First inter-Korean meeting to be held since summit
By Kim Bo-eun
South and North Korea will hold a high-level meeting at the truce village of Panmunjeom on Monday, the unification ministry said Friday. This will be the first inter-Korean meeting to be held since the third summit between the leaders last month.
The meeting will be about carrying out the agreements reached between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their summit in Pyongyang, and lay out plans for meetings for each of the projects.
These include holding a groundbreaking ceremony within the year to connect railways of the South and North.
To enable this, inspections of the railway sections in the North need to take place. These have been delayed since the United Nations Command (UNC) disapproved a plan for a South Korean train and personnel to head to the North for inspections in August. The UNC chief, who is also commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, is seen to have rejected approval for the plan as petroleum and other equipment that needs to be taken to the North may go against sanctions on Pyongyang.
Also among the agreements in the Pyongyang Declaration reached at the summit were establishing meeting facilities at Mount Geumgang in the North for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
The meeting facility is intended on allowing separated family members to meet more often, as most of them are now in their 70s or older. Up until now, they were only able to meet through reunion events. The meeting venue will be created by repairing and renovating existing facilities at Mount Geumgang.
The high-level talks may produce a date for a Red Cross meeting to discuss the matter.
In addition, the leaders agreed for the Pyongyang arts troupe to perform in Seoul this month. This is a return visit as a South Korean arts troupe performed in Pyongyang in April.
Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon will head the South Korean delegation for the high-level meeting, the ministry said. The delegation will be comprised of high-level officials of government ministries relevant to the projects _ the transport, culture and unification ministries. Chun's North Korean counterpart is expected to be Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.
Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung was at the inter-Korean liaison office, Friday, for what is seen as preparations for the meeting.
A weekly meeting between chiefs of the inter-Korean liaison office in the North's city of Gaeseong _ Chun and his North Korean counterpart Jon Jong-su _ was initially set to be held on Friday.
But the North suggested the meeting not be held, as an inter-Korean high-level meeting would be held soon, ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said.
“After the Panmunjeom Declaration, the Koreas discussed at a high-level meeting on June 1 schedules to carry out the agreements. The high-level this time will discuss the agreements in the Pyongyang Declaration as well as on how to carry them out without delay,” Baik said during a briefing.
The only agreements have been carried out so far are Pyongyang's hosting of an event to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the 10.4 Declaration reached between leaders of the Koreas in 2007 last week, and the removal of land mines at the demilitarized zone, according to the military agreement.