hankyoreh

By Son Won-je, Staff writer

North Korea and South Korea held a second round of working-level Red Cross talks over the separated family issue at the Janamsan Hotel in Kaesong on Friday. The countries, however, were unable to reach agreement on the issue of resuming Mt. Kumgang tourism, which is connected to the issue of the reunion venue. They agreed to continue talks on the issue at the Janamsan Hotel on Oct. 1.

After discussing the issue of the scale of the reunions in the morning, both countries, at North Korea’s request, agreed to hold separate talks for the venue. At these separate talks, held in the morning and afternoon, South Korea demanded the reunions be held at the family reunion center at Mt. Kumgang. North Korea, however, demanded that tourism to Mt. Kumgang resume as a precondition. North Korean representatives said that since all facilities in the Mt. Kumgang area have been frozen or confiscated, including the reunion center,tourism would have to resume with assets unfrozen in order to reuse them. South Korea previously suspended tourism after the fatal shooting of a South Korean tourist.

South Korea countered by saying that the restart of tourism required three conditions: an investigation into the shooting of a South Korean tourist there, measures to prevent a recurrence and a guarantee of personal safety for tourists. They also demanded a resolution over the Cheonan issue. All of these demands were notable for being separate from the family reunion issue.

In response to South Korea’s proposal to hold regular family reunions, North Korea proposed the holding of Red Cross talks on humanitarian projects, including the normalization of the reunions, in mid-October. With a final agreement failing to be reached, it is more likely the separated family reunions will be delayed from the Oct. 21 to 27 date agreed upon at the Sept. 17 meeting, even if an agreement is reached on the venue next meeting.

Participating at the separate talks on the reunion venue were, from North Korea, Asia Pacific Peace Committee official Kang Yong-chol and Ri Kyong-jin of the Guidance Bureau for Comprehensive Development of Scenic Spots. Representatives of South Korea included Red Cross Society official Kim Ui-do, South Korea’s chief negotiator for working-level talks on the family reunions. The North Korean representatives had participated in the inter-Korean government talks to restart the Mt. Kumgang tourism project in February.

Meanwhile, interest is focusing on the North Korean response to upcoming South Korea-U.S. anti-submarine drills in the West Sea, scheduled for Sept. 27 to Oct 1. This overlaps with North Korea’s Workers’ Party of Korea meeting of party representatives, reportedly to be held Sept. 28, and working level inter-Korean military talks to be held Sept. 30. The drills were originally scheduled for Sept. 5-9, but were delayed due to typhoons.

The drills, to be held near the Gyeongnyeolbi Islands off the Taean Peninsula in the West Sea, will feature from South Korean two destroyers, one frigate, one patrol boat, a P-3 patrol plane and a submarine. The U.S. is sending the guided missile destroyers USS John S. McCain and Fitzgerald, the 3,200 ton ocean surveillance ship Victorious, a fast attack submarine and Orion patrol plane. The nuclear aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which elicits a sensitive reaction from China, will not be coming, but it is scheduled to join mobile drills in the West Sea at the end of October.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]