Visiting Chinese vice foreign minister Wu Dawei leaves for Beijing at the Incheon International Airport Monday. Wu refused to answer reporter’s questions on the five verbal points of compromise on Koguryo history reached between China and Korea during his visit. Koguryo Issue Can be Resolved: Chinese President

The high-ranking official said through an unofficial briefing Tuesday morning that the Korean government had initially looked to put the agreement in writing, but because of "realistic limitations," it has decided to continue solving the issue with the compromise as a first step. He also said the Chinese government allowed the Korean government to say that there would virtually be no distortions in school textbooks.

The compromise agreement included ▲ recognition by the Chinese government that the Koguryo history issue has become a major pending issue between Korea and China; ▲ a bilateral agreement to try to prevent historical issues from harming friendly relations between Korea and China and to work for the development of total cooperation and partnership; ▲ agreement to try to reach a fair solution to the Koguryo history issue and prevent the issue from becoming a political problem by taking necessary measures.

Moreover, ▲ China expressed its understanding of Korean interest in accounts of Korguryo history given by Chinese regional and central governments, and would prevent the issue from growing more complicated by taking necessary measures; ▲ the two sides agreed to find a solution through the early convening of academic exchanges.

Asked if the verbal agreement came with confirmation mechanisms, the official said Korea would not lower its guard and keep watch over the compromise articles. He said he believed the compromise articles themselves were quite binding on both sides. He also said the verbal agreement was significant because it was a first step in the right direction.

The Chinese side would not accept, however, a Korean demand that the Chinese Foreign Ministry homepage's section on Korean history be restored to the way it was before the section on Koguryo history was deleted.

The verbal compromise, released on the 12th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Korea and China on Tuesday, marked a return to a February agreement worked out by Vice Foreign Minister Choi Yong-jin and Chinese Vice Minister Wang in which the two sides agreed not to turn the Koguryo issue into a political one, premised on a Chinese agreement to correct government-level distortions and not to try [at the government level] to distort history in the future by use of textbooks and other things.

While accepting Korean demands that Koguryo history distortions be corrected and future distortions be prevented during relay negotiations Tuesday, the Chinese side expressed the concerns of both the Chinese government and Chinese people concerning claims raised by some Korean politicians, academics and government bodies in published materials that the Chinese Northeast be "recovered." The Chinese called for that issue to be dealt with at the same time as the Koguryo issue.

About this, the Korean government clearly said it could not accept the Chinese demand as calls to recover the Chinese Northeast for Korea were not made at the government level, unlike the Koguryo distortions, which were committed by the Chinese government. Accordingly, the demand was not put in the compromise agreement in the end.

The Chinese also wanted to discuss future attempts by the Korean government to claim China is distorting Koguryo history in Korean textbooks, but the Korean government rejected this, claiming that it was unable to discuss a hypothetical situation as if it were a current issue.

(englishnews@chosun.com )