North asks for new date for Kaesong discussions
Published: 23 Feb. 2010, 07:38
North Korea proposed yesterday that working-level military talks about communication, travel and customs clearance at the Kaesong Industrial Complex be held on March 2, a week after the date suggested by Seoul.
A representative from the North to the inter-Korean general-level military talks faxed the request and suggested the venue be an inter-Korean economic cooperation and consultation office at the Kaesong complex, according to Won Tae-jae, spokesman for South Korean Defense Ministry.
“We are considering whether to accept the offer or not,” Won said, adding that inter-Korean military discussions have never taken place in the complex, a joint business park in the North where many firms from the South have operations.
“We will make a decision after figuring out [the North’s] intentions,” Won stated.
If held, the talks would mark the first time military officials from the two Koreas have met since Oct. 2, 2008, when they discussed South Korean civic groups that were sending propaganda leaflets into the North.
On Jan. 22, Pyongyang proposed opening military talks on Jan. 26, but Seoul wanted to wait until after working-level discussions on the complex took place on Feb. 1. On Feb. 12 Seoul requested Pyongyang open the military meeting today at the House of Peace, south of the truce village of Panmunjom along the demilitarized zone.
In the interim, the communist country has raised military tensions with the South by firing coastal artillery shells three days in a row late last month. The North also unilaterally declared several areas in the waters north of the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, in the Yellow and East seas as “naval firing zones.”
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Navy said yesterday it will deploy eight more advanced maritime patrol aircraft this year to guard against military threats from North Korea or elsewhere. The upgraded model, dubbed the P-3CK, is a remodeled version of the United States P-3 Orion plane. The Navy will double its number of P-3 reconnaissance aircraft to 16.
Key upgrades to the P-3CKs include electro-optical/infrared sensors, high-definition turrets, tactical sights, plasma displays and laser designators for air, land and sea applications.
The new aircraft will be acquired by the end of August. They will be part of the Navy’s first maritime task flotilla, established on Feb. 1.
By Lee Min-yong [[email protected]]
A representative from the North to the inter-Korean general-level military talks faxed the request and suggested the venue be an inter-Korean economic cooperation and consultation office at the Kaesong complex, according to Won Tae-jae, spokesman for South Korean Defense Ministry.
“We are considering whether to accept the offer or not,” Won said, adding that inter-Korean military discussions have never taken place in the complex, a joint business park in the North where many firms from the South have operations.
“We will make a decision after figuring out [the North’s] intentions,” Won stated.
If held, the talks would mark the first time military officials from the two Koreas have met since Oct. 2, 2008, when they discussed South Korean civic groups that were sending propaganda leaflets into the North.
On Jan. 22, Pyongyang proposed opening military talks on Jan. 26, but Seoul wanted to wait until after working-level discussions on the complex took place on Feb. 1. On Feb. 12 Seoul requested Pyongyang open the military meeting today at the House of Peace, south of the truce village of Panmunjom along the demilitarized zone.
In the interim, the communist country has raised military tensions with the South by firing coastal artillery shells three days in a row late last month. The North also unilaterally declared several areas in the waters north of the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, in the Yellow and East seas as “naval firing zones.”
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Navy said yesterday it will deploy eight more advanced maritime patrol aircraft this year to guard against military threats from North Korea or elsewhere. The upgraded model, dubbed the P-3CK, is a remodeled version of the United States P-3 Orion plane. The Navy will double its number of P-3 reconnaissance aircraft to 16.
Key upgrades to the P-3CKs include electro-optical/infrared sensors, high-definition turrets, tactical sights, plasma displays and laser designators for air, land and sea applications.
The new aircraft will be acquired by the end of August. They will be part of the Navy’s first maritime task flotilla, established on Feb. 1.
By Lee Min-yong [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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