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Foreign Minister Song Min-soon and Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo will be in the entourage of President Roh Moo-hyun for the second inter-Korean summit, which is scheduled for early October in Pyongyang. Neither the foreign nor defense minister accompanied president Kim Dae-jung when he met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for the historic first in 2000. The inclusion of the two ministers had generated speculation that both the North Korean nuclear problem and the controversial question of the Northern Limit Line, the de-facto maritime border between the two Koreas, are on the agenda.
A government source on Wednesday merely said the two ministers¡¯ inclusion was symbolic and aimed at making ¡°substantial progress in discussions on pending issues.¡± Foreign Minister Song was widely expected to accompany the president, since the summit is likely to deal with the North Korean nuclear problem after the North recently agreed with the U.S. to report and disable all its nuclear programs by late this year. Six-nation working group talks on normalizing U.S.-North Korea relations as well as the next round of the six-party denuclearization talks will open this month.
But Defense Minister Kim is a surprise addition, military experts say. At the first inter-Korean summit, one general and two lieutenant colonels were Kim¡¯s most senior military companions. Many feel it would be premature to discuss the NLL issue and easing tension and establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula in detail at the summit.
Kim would be the first South Korean defense minister to visit North Korea since the truce was signed in 1953 to end the Korean War. All eyes are on whether the defense ministers of the two Koreas will meet on the sidelines of the summit. There is speculation they could then discuss the NLL issue as well as easing tension and using the Demilitarized Zone for peaceful purposes.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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