Press Release (February 1)
The 3C issue would be discussed at the next round of military working-level meeting between South and North Korea
l On February 1, the delegations from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) had the 4th Round of Working-Level Meeting on the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and agreed as followed:
- The 3C issue would be discussed first at the next round of military working-level meeting, and then the issues of accommodation facilities and wage hike for North Korean workers would be talked at a working-level meeting between the authorities.
- The specific date and venue of the next military working-level meeting would be informed by the South in an appropriate way.
l At today’s meeting, the South delegation explained our position on issues of 3Cs (crossing, customs clearance and communication) and lodging construction which were agreed to be discussed at the previous meeting and urged the North delegation to show their position. Our proposals were as followed:
- When it comes to cross-border travel, the RFID system should be introduced to allow people to cross the borderon a daily basis not an hourly basis.
- For customs clearance, sampling should be adopted.
- Fiber-optic cables should be used for communication. As a first step, Internet network would be built as soon as possible.
- Small-sized accommodation facilities for workers should be in a trial operation,and then the supply and demand of the facilities would be surveyed.
l The North basically agreed to address the 3C issue but proposed that it should be talked in detail at the next round of military working-level meeting because it is a military matter.
- It offered to exclude the 3C issue from the agenda of the working-level meeting between the authorities and only discuss other pending issues including wage increase and accommodation facilities for workers.
l In response, the South delegation made it clear that even though the 3C issue would be talked at the next round of military working-level meeting, the delegation who participated in the previous working-level meetings concerning the GIC should lead the military meeting delegation (like in the case of the working-level consultation on 3Cs in January 2008).
l Meanwhile, the South delegation delivered a key-note message regarding our position on recent North Korean artillery firing on the West Sea. The delegation said that the firing would trigger military tension on the Korean peninsula and was not helpful for improving inter-Korean relations and developing the GIC further.
- The North delegation responded angrily, however, saying their South Korean counterpart raised an unrelated question to the GIC and insisted that the firing was a part of annual military exercises.
Ministry of Unification
