Two Koreas to seek peace treaty
President Roh Moo-hyun, left, is all smiles as he chats with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il at a luncheon hosted by Kim yesterday at the Paekhwawon State Guest House in Pyongyang. The two leaders signed a joint declaration to conclude their three-day summit prior to the lunch. [Joint Press Corps]
The dramatic call for a formal end to the Korean War came in an eight-point declaration signed by President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il at the end of the second inter-Korean summit.
The far-reaching declaration, with its breakthrough language on peace, is likely to be seen as a positive note for Roh’s often-beleaguered presidency. The summit itself has been widely criticized by the conservative opposition as an election year stunt by a lame duck president.
Roh arrived back in South Korea shortly after 9 p.m. last night after stopping at the Kaesong Industrial Complex to address workers and tour the facility. He traveled by car.
He told North Korean workers at Kaesong that the promise of change and economic progress represented by the summit meant that “soon you’ll be able to have your own companies.” South Korea, he said, stood ready to assist the North as it “opens up” to the outside world.
Arriving home, he addressed the nation and thanked the people for their support in making the summit a success.
In his remarks, he apologized for being unable to resolve the issue of kidnappings and abductions.
The two leaders agreed on creating a special peace zone in the Yellow Sea, where the disputed Northern Limit Line has been a flashpoint for deadly confrontations between the two countries’ naval forces. The declaration also called for the resumption of freight train services severed during the war.
“The Declaration on the Advancement of Inter-Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity” pledges cooperation in both economic matters and security concerns, even containing a somewhat lighthearted pledge to bring a “joint cheering squad” to support athletes from the two countries at next year’s Beijing Summer Olympics.
The two Koreas also plan to continue to hold ministerial-level talks and regular summit meetings in an atmosphere of “mutual respect and trust.”
The signing of the joint declaration proceeded rapidly at the Paekhwawon State Guest House where Roh was staying. The points were finalized in discussions between the two leaders on Wednesday.
The June 15 Joint Declaration forged at the first inter-Korean summit in 2000 focused on how to reunify the two Koreas in a largely symbolic manner.
The second joint declaration, by contrast, moved beyond symbols to focus on easing military tensions and bringing a permanent peace to the peninsula.
The prime ministers from the two sides will meet in November in Seoul to discuss the implementation of the agreement.
In remarks on behalf of the South Korean delegation, Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said:
“The leaders of the South and the North have reached an agreement, which is very valuable and meaningful for the future of all Koreans. This is more important than a mere encounter. The South and the North are one.”
The declaration commits the two sides to work towards the June 15 Joint Declaration’s goal of unification, although no concrete steps are suggested in that direction.
South Korean officials explained that the two Koreas, the United States and possibly China will have to be engaged in talks leading to peace and unification.
In settling tensions in the Yellow Sea, the two states will hold a meeting of defense ministers next month in Pyongyang to discuss preventing armed clashes.
The agreement on the Yellow Sea creates a peace zone that will allow a direct sea route linking the South and North, along with a joint fishing zone.
Summary of the eight-point agreement:
·Work to end the Korean War cease-fire and press for a meeting of the other countries that signed the 1953 armistice ― the United States and China ―on a peace treaty.
·Cooperate to end military hostilities, ease tensions and ensure peace on the peninsula.
·Establish a common fishing zone around the disputed Yellow Sea border.
·Smoothly implement agreements from international talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs to resolve the issue.
·Promote and expand economic cooperation projects.
·Open cargo railway service to an already established joint industrial zone in North Korea’s border city of Kaesong.
·Build cooperative shipbuilding complexes.
·Open an air route for South Koreans to North Korea’s tallest peak, Mount Paektu.
·Send joint cheering squads to the 2008 Beijing Olympics via rail.
By Lee Min-a Staff Writer
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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