President Kim Calls for 4-Way Talks with the Two Koreas,U.S. and China

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung says that the details of a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula should be discussed in four-way talks between South Korea, North Korea, the United States and China.

At an August 24 meeting with national security ministers at Chong Wa Dae, the president pointed out that "we are entering a new era in inter-Korean relations following the South-North summit. However, for all intensive purposes, we are still in a state of military confrontation."

President Kim will reportedly pitch his proposal for a four-way meeting when he meets with U.S. President Bill Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the Millennium Summit at UN headquarters in New York City from September 6 to 8.

"South and North Korea should agree on a peaceful state on the Korean Peninsula, while the United States and China should support this agreement, to cleanse the past and achieve a peaceful coexistence," said President Kim, proposing a so-called '2+2 system.'

"Because peace on the Korean Peninsula has not yet been realized or been guaranteed, we cannot allow ourselves to slacken our resolve on national security or to be overly optimistic," the president added, "With a focus on the military, the entire nation can become one body and be strengthened through self-defense."

President Kim emphasized that since peace has not yet been established between the two Koreas, maintaining the coalition between South Korea and the United States remains one of the most important factors in inter-Korean relations.

by Kim Jin-kook