South and North Korea adopt joint statement following high-level talks at Panmunjom

Posted on : 2018-10-16 17:32 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Both sides agree on seven points in implementing Pyongyang Declaration
South Korean Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon (right) and North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland Chairman Ri Son-gwon shake hands after exchanging copies of their signed joint statements as they conclude high-level inter-Korean talks at the House of Peace in Panmunjom on Oct. 15. (photo pool)
South Korean Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon (right) and North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland Chairman Ri Son-gwon shake hands after exchanging copies of their signed joint statements as they conclude high-level inter-Korean talks at the House of Peace in Panmunjom on Oct. 15. (photo pool)

During high-level talks held at the House of Peace in Panmunjom on Oct. 15, South and North Korea adopted a joint statement containing seven points about the scheduling of cooperation projects and follow-up talks in various areas necessary for implementing the Pyongyang Joint Declaration, which resulted from the inter-Korean summit held in September.

The follow-up meetings arranged for the implementation of the Pyongyang Declaration are military general-level talks (location undecided, to be held “soon”), a meeting of the forestry cooperation subcommittee (Kaesong Joint Liaison Office, Oct. 22), a meeting of the health and medical care subcommittee (Kaesong Joint Liaison Office, late October), sports talks (Kaesong Joint Liaison Office, end of October) and Red Cross talks (Mt. Kumkang, November).

The cooperation projects that were scheduled include working-level deliberations to be held “soon” for a North Korean concert in South Korea in October, the on-site joint survey of the North Korean section of the Gyeongui (Seoul-Sinuiju) railroad in late October, an on-site joint survey of the North Korean section of the East Sea railroad in early November; and a groundbreaking ceremony in late November or early December for a project to connect and modernize the roads and railways along the East and West Seas.

One important feature of this agreement is that the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office in Kaesong, which opened on Sept. 14 to implement one of the main points agreed to in the Apr. 27 Panmunjom Declaration, has emerged as the primary scene for inter-Korean governmental talks, beginning with these high-level talks. This represents a major leap forward in the systematization of inter-Korean relations.

Pragmatic and results-oriented attitude of both sides during talks

Yet another feature was South and North Korea’s pragmatic and results-oriented attitude during the talks. By finalizing the schedule of agenda items when possible and postponing matters that required further discussion or action, representatives from the two sides were able to wrap up the talks in five hours and 16 minutes. This is incredibly fast, given the vast scope and difficulty of the agenda of “devising measures for implementing the Pyongyang Declaration.” This can be seen as building on the foundation of mutual trust that South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have built during three summits.

The most striking agreement reached was creating a timetable for the road and railway cooperation project. While the Pyongyang Declaration only said that the groundbreaking for the connection and modernization of roads and railways on the East and West Sea lines would take place “within the year,” inter-Korean negotiators accelerated the timeframe and narrowed it down to “late November or early December.”

This is thought to express Kim Jong-un’s intention of holding the groundbreaking prior to his “return visit to Seoul within the year.” Leading up to the groundbreaking, the two sides agreed to initiate joint surveys of the northern stretch of the Gyeongui line “in late October” and of the East Sea line “in early November.” The schedule for the joint surveys of the roads along the West and East Seas is supposed to be confirmed via correspondence. Crossing the demilitarized zone (DMZ) will require prior consultation with the UN Command and effectively with the American government.

Inter-Korean health projects tied to UNICEF and World Food Programme

Also remarkable was the agreement to convene the health and medical care subcommittee at the Kaesong liaison office at the end of October “to prevent the influx and spread of infectious diseases.” The Unification Ministry announced it would use this meeting to create a “health community on the Korean Peninsula.” Cooperation in health and medical care drawing a lot of attention not only because of the urgency of humanitarian measures, but also because it would create momentum on the Mother and Child Health and Nutrition project, organized by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

On Sept. 21, 2017, the South Korean government promised to give the project US$8 million from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, but the funds have yet to be disbursed. Providing US$8 million to this project would have major political consequences since it would point the way to securing and expanding humanitarian aid, which represents an exception to the tough sanctions imposed on North Korea.

The question of creating and operating a joint military commission to coordinate the implementation of the “Agreement on the Implementation of the Historic Panmunjom Declaration in the Military Domain,” which is regarded as the greatest achievement in inter-Korean relations to result from the Pyongyang summit this past September, will be discussed during talks between generals that are supposed to be held “soon.”

South Korean government officials believe that these talks will be held between Oct. 20, when the mine removal work at the Panmunjom area comes to an end, and Nov. 1, when measures are implemented to end hostile behavior in the air around the military demarcation line.

The Red Cross talks for the divided family reunions, which have a major impact on public opinion in South Korea, were pushed back to November, presumably because North Korea’s “confiscation” of the divided family reunion building needs to be addressed before the talks can be held. The North announced it had confiscated the building on Apr. 27, 2010, when inter-Korean conflict was intensifying after the sinking of the Cheonan corvette.

South and North Korea agreed to hold sports talks around the end of the month to “deliberate the question of jointly participating in international competitions, including the 2020 Summer Olympics [in Tokyo], and of jointly hosting the 2032 Summer Olympics.”

  

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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

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