Inter-Korean nuke envoys' meeting should contribute to reconcilation

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South and North Korea will hold a meeting of their chief nuclear negotiators in Beijing Wednesday to discuss the North's nuclear weapons programs. It will be the second such gathering this year since the first one in Indonesia in July. The July meeting, the first of its kind in more than two years, set the tone for renewed diplomatic efforts to reopen the stalled six-party talks, which also involve the U.S., China, Japan and Russia. "As they did in Indonesia, the nuclear envoys in the upcoming meeting will discuss broader issues to create conditions for resuming the six-way talks," said a South Korean official. "Securing preemptive steps for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the goal of this meeting." Noticeable is that the Beijing meeting comes when positive signs are emerging for reconciliation between South and North Korea. On Monday, Yu Woo-ik, the new South Korean unification minister, vowed to do his best to reopen dialogue with the North while upholding what he called the Lee Myung-bak administration's "principled" policy toward the communist regime. Relations between the two Koreas have been tense since the Lee government took office in early 2008 with a pledge to link aid to the impoverished neighbor to progress in efforts to end its nuclear programs. The already-frayed ties plunged to their lowest level in decades after the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year. "The Unification Ministry will consistently cling to the government's policies and principles in dealing with North Korea," Yu said in his inaugural speech. "With a stern but flexible attitude, however, the ministry will try to create an atmosphere for dialogue and untangle knots in relations." Yu, who served as the presidential chief of staff under Lee and ambassador to China, replaced Hyun In-taek who had been known for his hard-line stance toward North Korea. Pyongyang declared him persona non-grata. Even before Yu's inauguration, South Korea sent reconciliatory overtures to the North, suggesting that it can ship relief goods for flood victims in the country. A group of South Korean Buddhist leaders visited North Korea with government approval early this month. Then came a trip to Pyongyang by world-renowned South Korean orchestra conductor Chung Myung-whun. Returning from the trip, Chung, who currently heads the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, said he has agreed with North Korean musicians to hold joint concerts twice before the end of this year. Representatives of seven South Korean religious organizations are scheduled to visit North Korea this week at the invitation of North Korean religious leaders. North Korea also showed signs of reconciliation, saying that it is willing to resolve through dialogue ongoing disputes over South Korean assets at Mount Geumgang that it had seized. North Korea had earlier rejected the South's proposal for talks on the issue. There is a possibility that North Korea may not show sincerity at this week's meeting in Beijing, as it is believed to be more interested in dialogue with the United States. North Korea should realize that it cannot reach any agreement with the U.S. without an agreement with South Korea. We hope that the Beijing meeting will serve as an opportunity for the two Koreas to find a solution to many problems pending between them.