Unification Minister Chung Held Talks with Rumsfeld and Powell

Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young, who is in Washington D.C., announced on August 31 that there were gratifying results on the working-level during consultations with the U.S. regarding strategic materials to be taken into North Korea for the companies within the Gaesung industrial complex.

On this day, Minister Chung explained to Washington correspondents about the results of a series of meetings he held with U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, saying, “The U.S. gave its understanding and support for the Gaesung industrial complex project.”

Minister Chung cited that “the list of outgoing items for the companies within the complex amounts to 1,200~1,300, 90 percent of which is no obstacle in the project because it has no relations with the export ban imposed under the Wassenaar Arrangement.”

In regard to the six-way talks, he said, “Korea and the U.S. are in agreement that it is important for the fourth six-way talks to take place before the end of this month as scheduled and yield significant results. The U.S. is hoping for an early resolution to the North Korea nuclear issue regardless of the U.S. presidential elections.”

Meanwhile, Secretary Rumsfeld agreed to further share terrorism intelligence and fully cooperate with Korea, considering the increased terror threat on Korean troops in Iraq and the Korean people after the nation’s dispatch of troops to Iraq, according to a source in Washington.

Soon-Taek Kwon maypole@donga.com