Mountain Air Still No Tonic To Ailing North-South Talks

In its fourth turbulent day, the sixth inter-Korean ministerial dialogue at Mount Geungang in North Korea ran into more problems Monday. North Korea rejected proposed language by South Korean chief delegate on Seoul's beefed-up security as "too weak." Earlier Monday, the North had demanded an apology from the minister for the security measures instituted after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States are rescinded; the South refused.

The North's rejection of the latest formulation was a blow to hopes of a breakthrough; the two sides have agreed to extend the talks for another day.

Late Sunday, the two sides tentatively agreed that the fourth round of family reunions would take place sometime in December at Geumgang.

The two sides also agreed to open talks on the inter-Korean economic projects, including Seoul's provision of 300,000 tons of rice to the North.

Those agreements came after two days of unproductive plenary sessions Friday and Saturday. Late Sunday night, the North accepted a proposal that Unification Minister Hong Soon-young would touch upon Seoul's heightened security in his closing statement. A joint press release was planned for Monday.

"We are now back at ground zero in the negotiations. We cannot at this point disclose the specifics of the North's demands or the details of what we proposed," said one southern delegate on condition of anonymity. Other delegates were also pessimistic.

Hesitant to lose momentum in inter-Korean reconciliation, Seoul wavered but finally accepted the North's proposal to hold these talks at Mount Guemgang even though the North called off a fourth separated family reunion planned for late October. The North also cancelled other project and meeting agreements that had been reached during the fifth inter-Korean ministerial dialogue in Seoul on Sept. 16-18.

One Seoul official said he surmised that the North Korean army was behind the North Korean delegation's intransigency.

"We are getting the impression that the North Korean delegation was delivering the hardline stance of its military, and holding the reunion issue hostage to drive home the message," the official said.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Kim Dong-shin said Monday in Seoul that the government reiterated that the high security was ordered to "prepare against terror from outside." He was speaking at a National Assembly hearing.

by Lee Young-jong