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Military leaders from South and North Korea began a new round of defense ministerial talks, their first in years, during which they will reportedly reach an agreement on detailed plans for allowing private ships to use direct maritime routes crossing the two divided countries, sources said.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo and his North Korean counterpart Kim Il-chol launched three days of talks in Pyongyang yesterday to discuss follow-up measures on agreements reached at the inter-Korean summit in October.

A Seoul government official said, “An agreement could be reached during the talks to open direct routes running along the western part of Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea... More negotiations will be needed to work out the details.” The North has so far expressed no opposition to a proposal to build cross-border routes, which was made by the South during a meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries held two weeks ago.

“We will need working-level talks make decisions about the specific direction, but expect to reach consensus on the overall principles and other issues related to the range of envisioned cross-border routes,” he said. Sources say that the two defense ministers will also discuss ways to designate a joint fishing zone and the sharing of the estuary area of the Han River, which runs through South Korea’s capital city of Seoul.

Before heading to Pyongyang for the talks, South Korea’s Defense Minister Kim said, “Both sides will discuss ways of implementing the defense-related aspects of the agreements reached during the October summit in order to carry out the agreements reached in the inter-Korean summit.” He also emphasized the importance of “heart” in sensitive areas that both countries are unable to resolve in “logical” ways.

Asked how he will respond when the North raises the issue of setting a maritime border in the disputed West Sea area, Kim said, “We think that the North could put the issue on the table... We will do our best to prevent such issues from delaying or hampering agreements in other areas.”

The maritime border between the two countries, the controversial Northern Limit Line, or NLL, is heavily disputed as North Korea refuses to recognize it and South Korea would like to see it maintained for security purposes.

The two Koreas are technically still at war, as the 1950-53 conflict which divided North and South ended with the signing of an armistice and a peace treaty has yet to be signed.

Though the prospects for building a peace regime have certainly increased in recent months amid an atmosphere of greater cooperation between the two Koreas, and progress in the six-nation forum focused on denuclearizing North Korea, the defense ministers’ meetings are a crucial part of any agreements reached between the two countries as security for cross-border projects will require the consent and cooperation of the militaries of the two Koreas, which have often been at odds with one another.



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