Meeting on Mt. Baekdu

Civilian experts from South and North Korea will gather tomorrow at a border office in Munsan, Paju, to discuss Mount Baekdu, a volcano straddling the North Korea-China border, the South Korean Ministry of Unification said yesterday.

Three professors and a researcher from the South will attend the conference, which will start at 10 a.m., while North Korea has said it will send three experts on volcanic and seismic activity.

The talks were agreed upon by the two Koreas in a matter of days after North Korea sent a request, asking for the South’s cooperation in researching the mountain, which experts say has been showing signs of a possible eruption. Seoul asked that only civilian experts participate in the meeting. North Korea agreed.

The experts will discuss joint research on the mountain, visits to the volcano and future academic discussions. Seoul had agreed to the meetings after “recognizing a need for joint cooperation,” according to the Unification Ministry.

By Christine Kim [christine.kim@joongang.co.kr]