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The defense ministers of the two Koreas on Thursday ended three days of talks by agreeing to form a joint military committee to discuss drawing a nonaggression sea border and building mutual trust. But the two sides failed to agree on the most contentious point, the establishment of a joint fishing zone in the area of the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border in the West Sea. Instead, they agreed that generals from both sides will discuss the matter.
The two Koreas reached the agreement ˇ°for the development of peace, prosperity and better Korean relationsˇ±, which consists of seven articles and 21 clauses, at the Songjeongak Guest House in Pyongyang on Thursday afternoon.
In the talks, they agreed to give military security guarantees for inter-Korean economic cooperation projects as soon as possible, paving the way for regular cross-border cargo train services between Munsan in the South and Bongdong in the North, civilian North Korean ships sailing directly to Haeju Port, and the joint use of the estuary of the Han River. All had in principle been agreed at the inter-Korean summit in October.
The ministers agreed to form a joint military committee, a matter already specified in the 1992 Basic Agreement that has yet to be implemented. This laid the foundation for further discussions on ways to build mutual trust and reduce tension. They also agreed to hold the next defense ministers' talks in Seoul in 2008, which will most likely form the basis for regular meetings. The two Koreas reaffirmed the principles of a peaceful solution to conflicts. They also agreed to make joint efforts to unearth remains of the war dead.
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South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo toasts with his North Korean counterpart Kim Il-chol at the second inter-Korean defense ministers' talks at the Songjeongak Guest House in Pyongyang on Thursday.
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But the fishing zone and the question whether the NLL should, as the North is demanding, be redrawn, proved too much for the military chiefs. They ostensibly left it to top brass from the two sides to hammer out an agreement on the joint fishing zone -- but it will realistically be impossible for generals to reach agreement on a matter their bosses were unable to decide. No agreement was made on the exact date for the next meeting between the ministers, but given that the South Korean government has mere weeks left in office, this is likely to come after the next government is inaugurated in February.
As a result, it will fall to the next president to determine the fate of the NLL. Among major presidential candidates, Lee Myung-bak of the Grand National Party and independent Lee Hoi-chang favor the status quo. Only Chung Dong-young of the United New Democratic Party is positive about establishing the joint fishing zone and a peace zone in the West Sea. Unless Chung becomes president, the next government will most likely scrap the idea.
The joint fishing zone was raised by the leaders of the two Koreas during their summit in an attempt to prevent accidental clashes between the two sides in the West Sea. So why did the government make no concession to the North on this point in the defense ministers' talks? First of all, the government apparently faced strong opposition from military leaders, including Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo. Several government officials, including Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung, had continued to insinuate at the possibility of redrawing the NLL itself under the pretext of peaceful use of the West Sea. But the defense minister has officially and unofficially clarified his determination to defend the NLL.
On Wednesday, neither side yielded any point on the NLL issue. The stalemate was broken only when Cheong Wa Dae sent an urgent message to the defense minister in Pyongyang telling him it was fine to ˇ°return empty-handed.ˇ± Cheong Wa Dae apparently decided not to raise unnecessary trouble in view of the impending presidential election.
An expert in Seoul said, "The government may have been afraid of the possible repercussions it might face if it gives in to the North on a joint fishing zone in the West Sea, with only three weeks left before the presidential election."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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