≫ Members of Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea hold a demonstration in front of Foreign Affair Ministry located in Seoul’s Sejong-no to protest the visit by Philip Goldberg, the U.S. envoy seeking Seoul’s support for North Korea sanctions, Aug 24.

The meeting between the North Korean delegation of special envoys expressing condolences over the passing of former President Kim Dae-jung and President Lee Myung-bak has opened the gates for discussions on inter-Korean relations between South Korean and North Korea authorities. Following this “gift” left behind by the late president, attention is now turning to whether the South Korean government links the meeting with a broader stream of efforts to improve relations with North Korea.

 

The government’s assessment of the meeting’s results has been favorable. A Cheong Wa Dae official (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) said Monday, “This meeting represented the first opportunity that each side has had to open up and examine the other’s intentions since the Lee administration took office.” The official added that his view on the meeting was positive.

 

Nonetheless, a circumspect current, holding that any specific approach towards resolving major issues in inter-Korean relations requires further examination, is preval!ent within the government. “We will have to examine how genuine North Korea’s recent attitude is through future contacts with them,” said a Unification Ministry official.

 

Among the major issues that now need to be discussed between South Korea and North Korea, the five items agreed upon by Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun and North Korea’s Asia-Pacific Peace Committee are the first on the list. The resumption of Mt. Kumkang and Kaesong tourism projects, the lifting of the cross-border land travel ban, the activity at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the initiation of Mt. Paektu tours, and reunions among separated families for the Chuseok holiday are included.

 

It appears the government is taking a Red Cross meeting towards the Chuseok reunions as a test case for North Korea’s attitude. South Korea’s National Red Cross has proposed to North Korea’s Chosun Red Cross that a meeting be held on Aug 26. “We first need to see North Korea’s response to our proposal to meet in order to plan reunions among families that have been separated,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said. Another Cheong Wa Dae official added, “It seems likely that we will determine our response on other matters when we receive their answer on meeting to plan the family reunions.”

 

In connection with the matter of allowing tourism to Mt. Kumkang, the South Korean government has repeatedly articulated its position that the project can only resume after the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of a tourist there last year have been investigated, and measures to prevent another such incident and guarantee the safety of tourists have been clearly established through discussions between authorities. North Korea, meanwhile, is saying that no separate agreement is necessary since Kim Jong-il said in his meeting with Hyun that such an incident would never happen again. As a result, some analysts say obstacles remain in the way of a resolution between South Korean and North Korean governments on the matter of reopening tourism to Mount Kumkang.

 

The South Korean government is maintaining a position that tourism to Kaesong can likewise only be resumed after further details are provided by North Korea on how they plan to secure tourists’ safety. South Korea, however, is also stating that it will not necessarily link tourism to Kaesong with the Mt. Kumkang tours, since the former was allowed to continue even after the latter was halted and then indefinitely suspended with North Korea’s announcement of “December 1 measures” limiting cross-border passage last year. Cancellation of the December 1 measures became effective on Aug 20, following a surprise announcement from North Korea.

 

Given that North Korea has agreed to promote activity in the Kaesong Industrial Complex and has suddenly canceled the December 1 measures, some observers are predicting that a more forward-thinking approach to discussions on land usage fees and wages may be able to restart activity at the complex. North Korea has been demanding that the fees and wages be raised to 500 million dollars and 300 dollars per month, respectively.

 

Meanwhile, the South Korean Unification Ministry announced that the Panmunjeom inter-Korean direct phone channel, temporarily restored with the North Korean mourning delegation’s visit to Seoul, was suspended again Monday.

 

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]