The 15th Inter-Korean Ministerial Meeting concluded its sessions on Thursday evening with a 12-point joint statement on reviving various inter-Korean negotiations and enhancing exchanges.

The inter-Korean general-level military talks will be resumed in future to ease the tension on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held the first and second general-level military talks in June 2004, clinching agreements on stopping propaganda along the inter- Korean land border and measures to ease tension along their sea border. But the talks has been suspended since then.

The inter-Korean economic cooperation committee meeting and Red Cross meeting are also to be reopened in July.

Moreover, the two sides agreed to open new talks respectively on agriculture and fishery to promote their cooperation.

The statement also said the next round of inter-Korean ministerial talks will be held at DPRK's Mount Paekdu (Chang Bai mountain) in September.

The meeting attracted hundreds of reporters from South Korean and foreign media.

Local media noticed the 15th round of the ministerial talks had some phenomenal differences from previous ones.

For the first time, the two delegations used a round table in stead of a rectangle one, which seemed to create more comfortable feeling for delegates.

For the first time, chief delegates to the ministerial talks held a joint press conference. Chief delegates to the talks, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-Young and DPRK Senior Cabinet Councilor Kwon Ho Ung, issued the statement at the Sheraton Walker Hotel in eastern Seoul.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun met the DPRK delegation to the talks for the first time since Roh took office in February 2003.

This week's inter-Korean ministerial meeting came shortly after the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Il held long-time discussions with South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young in Pyongyang last Friday.

Contrast to previous such talks, discussions of this meeting went on more smoothly as Chief delegates to the talks of the two sides described several times the meeting atmosphere was "good."

It seemed Kim-Chung's meeting created favorable atmosphere for the ministerial meeting, which had been suspended for 11 months.

The ministerial meeting also came amid celebrations held by the two countries to mark 5th anniversary of the historic inter-Korean summit between South Korean then President Kim Dae-jung and the DPRK top leader Kim Jong Il on June 15, 2000.

Although the ministerial talks yield fruits, differences still exit.

The South Korean side had hoped it could persuade the DPRK back to the nuclear negotiating table during the meeting, especially after the DPRK's top leader gave positive remarks over the six- party nuclear talks.

In the Kim-Chung's meeting, Kim Jong Il said "the DPRK is willing to rejoin the six-party nuclear talks even in July, if the United States recognizes and respects" Pyongyang.

A sense of optimism had prevailed since last Friday. Observers and media widely expected that South Korea could persuade the DPRK to give a specific date for the resumption of the six-party nuclear talks.

However, the DPRK holds the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is not the issue just between South Korea and the DPRK, so it is not appropriate to discuss the nuclear issue in the inter- Korean meeting.

The two sides only agreed to "take substantial steps to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue through means of dialogue," according to the statement.

The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula emerged in October 2002. In order to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue, China, the DPRK, the United States, Russia, South Korea and Japan have held three rounds of talks in Beijing.

Source: Xinhua