South and North agree to hold family reunions as scheduled

Posted on : 2014-02-15 13:04 KST Modified on : 2014-02-15 13:04 KST
Two sides compromise on halting slander; reunions going ahead despite ROK-US military exercises
 Blue House national security bureau first deputy director and leader of the South Korean delegation to high-level talks with the North
Blue House national security bureau first deputy director and leader of the South Korean delegation to high-level talks with the North

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer and Choi Hyun-june, staff reporter

“The divided family reunions have to go well for us to move on to bigger things. That is how President Park Geun-hye is thinking. Please trust that she’ll keep her promise this time,” said Kim Kyu-hyun, head of the South Korean delegation.

“Since President Park says that trust is important, we will believe what she says. We will make a generous and courageous decision. This time, we will yield. Let’s do our best in the future,” said Won Dong-yon, head of the North Korean delegation.

With this exchange, an agreement was reached in the second high-level meeting - which dragged on for 17 hours and 25 minutes, with 14 hours and 10 minutes in the first session and three hours and 15 minutes in the second session.

North and South finally decided that the divided family reunions would take place according to schedule from Feb. 20 to Feb. 25. It was also agreed to refrain from slander and libel and to hold additional high-level meetings in the future to keep deliberating areas of mutual interest.

Following the second round of inter-Korean talks on Feb. 14, Kim Kyu-hyun, Blue House national security bureau first deputy director and head of the South’s delegation, held a press conference at the government complex in Seoul. “Through honest discussions that lasted for a long time, North and South Korea reached an agreement about the necessity of improving mutual relations and about making sure that the upcoming reunions are held without any hitches,” Kim said.

He explained that on Friday North and South Korea had agreed on three points: holding the divided family reunions as scheduled, refraining from slander and libel, and holding a third high-level meeting at a mutually convenient date.

The agreement is believed to have been reached after North and South compromised on their demands. The North relented on its original demand that the divided family reunions would not be held while the US-ROK military exercises were taking place, and the South accepted the North’s request to stop slander and libel, which was part of the North’s “important proposal.”

The government is planning to send an advance party of 15 people to Mt. Keumgang to prepare for the divided family reunions on Feb. 15 as scheduled.

“During these high-level talks, North and South Korea candidly exchanged their opinions about important items of interest,” Kim said in his assessment of the results of the two rounds of talks. “We thoroughly explained the basic objective and content of the trust-building process for the Korean peninsula and stressed that the divided family reunions are the first step toward improving inter-Korean relations.”

“Using today’s results as a launch pad, I hope that officials from the North and South will be able to keep building trust through dialogue,” Kim said.

North and South Korea met for a second high-level meeting at the Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjeom at 10 am on Friday. The lead delegate for the South was Kim Kyu-hyun, Blue House national security bureau first deputy director, while the delegation from the North was led by Won Dong-yon, Workers’ Party of Korea Unified Front Department deputy director. The second round of talks were closed to the press just like the first round on Feb. 12.

Previously, Blue House spokesperson Min Kyung-wook had quoted a senior government official who said on condition of anonymity, “The position of the government is that, whatever may happen, it will ensure that the reunions do not fall through so as not to cause grief in the hearts of the divided family members.”

“We are determined not to let the divided family reunions be hindered by the military exercises or the exercises be blocked by the family reunions,” Min also said. “The government’s position is that it cannot yield on either the military exercises or the divided family reunions, and that it will accomplish both of them.”

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