Future of inter-Korea military talks uncertain

The future of contact between working-level military officials of South and North Korea for the work of reconnecting the cross-border railway between Seoul and Shinuiju looks uncertain as a result of the inept negotiating tactics of the South, it was learned Thursday.

U.S. Col. Martin Glacer of the United Nations Command here and North Korean representative to its liaison office at Panmunjom, Col. Ryu Yeong-Chol, met in the Military Armistice Commission conference room Wednesday to discuss the rail line relinking and building of a parallel highway. It was a contact between MAC secretaries for the inter-Korean working-level meeting. The UNC called on the North Korean side to resume MAC plenary meetings which have been suspended since the 459th session in February 1991, referring to Article 4 of the joint press statement of the inter-Korean defense ministers' talks released on Sept. 26. The article said that the question of setting up a joint security area across the military demarcation line and through the demilitarized zone adjoining the cross-border rail line and its parallel highway should be dealt with in accordance with the Korean truce agreement.

Earlier on Oct. 14 during a contact of chief secretaries the UNC delivered a letter that the South's Ministry of Defense has the power to negotiate on behalf of the UNC security measures required for the mine-sweeping operations and other railway building work within the DMZ. At the same time, the UNC called for the reactivation of the MAC meetings at the request of the South Korean military authorities.

On Thursday North Koreans abruptly refused to take up the question of MAC meetings during the chief secretaries' contact, taking issue with the UNC letter delegating its power to the Seoul government from the legal and technical standpoints.

North Korea was reported to have told the UNC that inasmuch as North Korea and the UNC were parties to the armistice, the question of transferring the power of negotiation to the South Korean Army needed to be specified in a separate document agreed upon between the two parties-- North Korea and the UNC. North Korea has lately ignored the functioning of the MAC and set up a general-grade channel of communication with the UNC through its liaison office at Panmunjom. Therefore, North Korea's blunt rejection of the South Korean proposition might be construed to be a strong reaction to the apparent attempt of the Seoul government to revert the channel of communication to the MAC.

Some military officials here blamed the move of the South at the chief secretaries' meeting was a clear tactical mistake for it was untimely to raise the question of the MAC during the encounter of working-level military officials which should have focused on the relinking of the cross-border rail line. It certainly gave offense to North Korea, resulting in certain delay in undertaking the reconstruction of the cross-border railway.

Hwang Yoo-Seong yshwang@donga.com