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The prime ministers of the two Koreas meet Wednesday through Friday in Seoul, making good a promise given during the inter-Korean summit in October. This round will be the first in 15 years.
North Korean Prime Minister Kim Yong-il is to head a 43-strong delegation that also includes Senior Cabinet Counselor Kwon Ho-ung, Vice Minister for the Cabinet Paik Ryong-cheon, Vice Minister for Transportation Cha Seon-mo, Vice Minister for National Land and Environment Protection Park Ho-young, Railroad Agency Director Park Jeong-seong and Health Agency Director Park Jeong-min. They are expected at Gimpo Airport at 11 a.m.
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North Korean officials (from left): Senior Cabinet Counselor Kwon Ho-ung, Railroad Agency Director Park Jeong-seong and Prime Minister Kim Yong-il.
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¡ß Experienced negotiators
The North Korean delegation will consist of figures with plenty of experience in inter-Korean talks or officials involved in economic cooperation but no military officers, indicating that the focus is less on security and more on business. An official with the South Korean Unification Ministry said, "The matter of the biggest concern for the South is the peace zone in the West Sea, but the North is paying the most attention to the planned shipbuilding complexes." Other key issues include infrastructure, the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex, development of natural resources, and cooperation in public health.
The North Korean premier started his career as a junior clerk at the Ministry of Transportation. Now in charge of the North Korean economy, he is an expert on shipbuilding -- as transport minister in 2005, he had a pier at Nampo Port and a ship repair yard completed. He has recently been to Vietnam, where he observed the results of the country's economic reform.
Vice Transportation Minister Cha Seon-mo -- his title is actually equivalent to senior vice minister -- and Railroad Agency Director Park Jeong-seong asked CEOs from South Korean conglomerates during economic talks on the sideline of the October summit to make "generous investments in North Korea." Cha headed the North Korean delegation to the inter-Korean maritime talks from 2002 to 2005. Early this month, he welcomed in a South Korean delegation to sites for shipbuilding complexes. He is expected to play a leading role in negotiations on the West Sea peace zone and cooperation in building shipbuilding complexes in North Korea.
Park has regularly attended inter-Korean talks on railways and roads since 2002. He will take charge of planned regular services of cargo trains to and from the Kaesong Industrial Complex and repair of railway lines and roads.
Vice Minister for the Cabinet Paik Ryong-cheon is the third son of former foreign minister Paik Nam-soon, who died early this year. He went to Gwangju as a North Korean delegate during the June 15 inter-Korean celebration in 2006. He also attended inter-Korean talks on reconnecting railway lines and roads.
Senior Cabinet Counselor Kwon led the North Korean delegation to the inter-Korean ministerial talks, from the Pyongyang round in December 2000 to the talks in Seoul in June this year. Vice Minister for National Land and Environment Protection Park attended meetings of the Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Committee in 2000 and 2001.
¡ß Joint fishing zone a knotty subject
Seoul sees the establishment of a joint fishing zone around the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border, as a key point on the agenda that determines the success or failure of the peace zone plan. The North will expected to reject the South¡¯s "equal distance, equal size" principle.
There could be rough sailing if the North makes unreasonable demands on the matter. A senior South Korean official said, "It will be hard to have detailed discussion. Both sides will only discuss the principle and general direction."
It seems likely that the location of a joint fishing zone will be handled in inter-Korean defense ministers' talks slated for Nov. 27-29 in Pyongyang. That would allow the prime ministers to make smooth progress on other issues where they have already worked out a draft agreement in three preliminary meetings.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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