Inter-Korean military talks slated for Jeju Island

Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to hold their first-ever defense minsters' talks on the southern island of Jeju-do Sept. 25-26. In a letter delivered via the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission at Panmunjon in the morning of Sept. 17, North Korean People's Armed Forces Minister Kim Il-Chol said that the North decided to visit the South first with a view to upholding the spirit of the historic joint declaration of June 15 and faithfully implementing its contents, the Defense Ministry here reported.

In accepting Seoul's proposal for the date (Sept. 25-26) and the size of delegations to the talks (5 delegates and 5 assistants), Kim expressed his wish for the two sides to meet on Jeju Island. The South's Defense Minister, Cho Song-Tae, sent a message of approval to the North in the afternoon.

Hong Kong had been suggested as a possible conference site but the two sides agreed on Jeju-do in apparent consideration of various inconveniences such as visa requirements and arranging a conference room and accommodations in a foreign country.

Seoul and Pyongyang will nominate their respective delegations and inform the other side of their roster shortly. The 10-member missions are to consist of 5 delegates and 5 assistants, and will be headed by chief delegates -- Defense Minister Cho Song-Tae for the South and Minister Kim Il-Chol for the North. The forthcoming ministerial talks carry great

symbolic value simply by virtue of the fact that they are being held, said Defense Ministry sources, warning against lofty expectations. An accord should be reached by dealing with practical issues one by one, focusing on the building of mutual confidence between the military authorities of the two sides, they said.