Late-night meeting raises hopes

North and South Korea may reconvene an inter-Korean economic cooperation committee and hold reunions of separated families in April, the Ministry of Unification announced Friday. A special presidential envoy, Lim Dong-won, has been in Pyeongyang since Wednesday. He and Kim Yong-sun, the North Korea Workers' Party secretary, are reportedly writing a joint press release on the visit that will include the agreement to resume stalled North-South projects and meetings.

Although the talks got off to a rocky start, with Mr. Lim left to cool his heels waiting for someone to talk to most of the day Thursday, the atmosphere changed late Thursday night when North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il, paid a surprise call on Mr. Lim at the Pyeongyang VIP guesthouse where Mr. Lim and his party are staying. The visit, the unification ministry said, created a "conciliatory mood" that broke down some of the barriers thrown up by North Korea. Those barriers included a demand that Seoul withdraw its characterization of the North as its "principal enemy." The icy atmosphere and the delay in beginning substantive talks led Mr. Lim to extend his stay in Pyeongyang by one day. He is now scheduled to return through the truce village of Panmunjeom on Saturday.

"Despite the difficulties, the talks are progressing and both parties will be able to make the joint press release," Kim Hong-jae, a spokesman of the Unification Ministry, said confidently.

Friday's talks between the South Korean envoy and the party's secretary followed clashes between lower-level officials struggling to write a press release. The "main enemy" issue and other controversies threw into question Pyeongyang's desire to resume contacts with its ideological foe to the south.

No agreements have reportedly yet been put down in writing, and persons who have negotiated with the reclusive Stalinist leadership have memories of past near-agreements that went sour or were later repudiated. But the two sides reportedly agreed to resume work to rejoin the severed Gyeongui railroad line across the Demilitarized Zone and increase civilian contacts between the two sides, the ministry spokesman said.

The delegates are reportedly considering family reunions in Pyeong-yang concurrently with the Arirang Festival that opens late this month.

Ministry officials said Mr. Lim will meet President Kim Dae-jung immediately after he returns. Earlier reports said Mr. Lim may also fly to Washington to brief the U.S. government on the talks.

by Lee Young-jong