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Agreement at six-party nuclear talks in Beijing on Tuesday offers the two Korea a chance to resume bilateral contacts, which have been on ice since North Korea¡¯s missile tests in July. President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday hailed the conclusion of the talks, where the North agreed to disable its nuclear facilities, and pledged that South Korea will do its best to implement its part of the Beijing agreement, taking ¡°prompt measures¡± to ensure a ¡°smooth implementation.¡± The president is on a state visit to Spain.
The remarks hint that the government plans to resume rice and fertilizer aid to North Korea immediately and reopen inter-Korean talks. Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, who accompanies the president, added a broad hint of his own by saying the government ¡°will consider separate aid¡± to the North Korea, in addition to economic and energy assistance stipulated in the Beijing agreement.
Unification Minister Lee Jae-jeong in a phone interview Tuesday said it was important to resume inter-Korean ministerial talks, which have been halted for eight months. ¡°It¡¯s time to get active in improving inter-Korean relations,¡± Lee added.
Senior North Korean officials have signaled willingness to improve ties with Seoul this year. It looks as though North Korea will accept a South Korean offer of talks without hesitation because they must urgently relieve its food shortage and need fertilizer aid. And any improvement in inter-Korean relations could lay the foundation for a second inter-Korean summit. Song said progress in the six-party nuclear talks toward dismantling North Korea¡¯s nuclear program is an important factor in improving inter-Korean relations. But he added a cautious note, saying it is premature to conclude the progress a sufficient condition for a second inter-Korean summit. Lee also said it was ¡°too soon¡± to talk about another inter-Korean summit.
In a New Year¡¯s press conference on Jan. 25, President Roh Moo-hyun said the six-party talks and any inter-Korean summit should happen ¡°in sequence.¡± In an address to mark the New Year two days earlier, the president said the door for an inter-Korean summit ¡°is always open.¡± Pundits say the six-party agreement creates favorable conditions for a second summit, because North Korea stands a chance of getting large-scale aid from South Korea that way. Analysts say another factor in favor of a summit, which would politically benefit South Korea¡¯s ruling party, is that the North Korean regime has vowed to prevent the main opposition Grand National Party from taking power in this year¡¯s elections.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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