JAPAN: South Korea's foreign minister Kim Sung-hwan holds out hopes of resuming collapsed military talks with the North

Record ID: 463711

  • Title: JAPAN: South Korea's foreign minister Kim Sung-hwan holds out hopes of resuming collapsed military talks with the North
  • Date: 17th February 2011
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (FEBRUARY 16, 2011) (REUTERS) ( * BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) SOUTH KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER KIM SUNG-HWAN AND JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER SEIJI MAEHARA SHAKING HANDS MORE OF KIM AND MAEHARA SHAKING HANDS DELEGATES TAKING SEATS SOUTH KOREAN AND JAPANESE FLAGS MAEHARA TALKING DELEGATES SEATED AT TABLE KIM TALKING DELEGATES SEATED AT TABLE KIM AND MAEHARA WALKING IN FOR JOINT NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMEN FILMING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER KIM SUNG-HWAN SAYING: "I'm very regretful that the previous South-North military talks collapsed as North Korea walked out of the meeting room even though we maintained a flexible attitude to them." KIM AND MAEHARA GIVING CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER KIM SUNG-HWAN SAYING: "Because we remain open-minded for the agenda and the level of attendees for the senior level talks, I believe they can be resumed anytime when the North responds to our call." KIM AND MAEHARA SHAKING HANDS KIM AND MAEHARA LEAVING CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 4th March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan, Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Reuters ID: LVA38MPJ9IP7D7UYBTNUZU87ZJ6Q
  • Story Text: South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said on Wednesday (February 16) he held out hopes of resuming collapsed military talks with the North.
    Kim, on an official visit to Tokyo, met his Japanese counterpart Seiji Maehara for talks on North Korea's nuclear programmes and bilateral relations.
    Kim said he regretted the collapse of the work-level dialogue between military officials from the two Koreas last week.
    "I'm very regretful that the previous South-North military talks collapsed as North Korea walked out of the meeting room even though we maintained a flexible attitude to them," Kim said during a joint news conference with Maehara.
    Tensions had eased on the divided peninsula since the start of the year, with both sides calling for dialogue, raising hopes the neighbours could rebuild relations shattered over the past two years by a series of deadly attacks and failed nuclear talks.
    But the dialogue collapsed last Wednesday (February 9) with no promises to meet again, dealing a setback to efforts to restart international aid-for-disarmament talks.
    The South's Defence Ministry had said in a statement that the North's representatives had "unilaterally walked out of the meeting room."
    The talks also became bogged down over the procedural issue of what rank any senior talks would take, with the South demanding either a ministerial or four-star general meeting while North insisted on vice-ministerial dialogue.
    Kim said the South's offer for senior-level military talks still stood.
    "Because we remain open-minded for the agenda and the level of attendees for the senior level talks, I believe they can be resumed anytime when the North responds to our call," Kim said.
    Tensions rose on the divided peninsula last year when 46 South Korean sailors were killed in an attack on a naval vessel. North Korea, which denies responsibility for that attack, also revealed major advances in its nuclear programme in November.
    Beijing and Washington had set inter-Korean dialogue as a prerequisite to restart six-party talks which offer the North aid and diplomatic recognition in return for disabling its nuclear arms program. Tokyo and Moscow are the other six-party members.
    The North has said it wants to return to the broader negotiations, but Seoul and Washington have questioned its sincerity about denuclearising -- pointing to its revelations about a uranium-enrichment programme.
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