By Park Ji-won
Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon is expected to lead a South Korean delegation for high-level talks with North Korea, which will resume on June 1 under an agreement reached at the latest inter-Korean summit.
"We are stepping up preparations for the high-level talks with the North," ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told reporters Monday. "Minister Cho will participate in the talks."
Seoul and Pyongyang were scheduled to hold high-level talks on May 16, but the North unilaterally canceled the meeting, citing the Max Thunder air exercises between South Korea and the U.S.
During the planned talks, the two Koreas will likely discuss the details of the implementation of the Panmunjeom Declaration as well as roadmaps for other meetings such as resumption of the suspended inter-Korean military talks, establishing an inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, North Korea, and reconnecting an inter-Korean railroad on the East Coast, all of which have been on the agenda for the canceled talks.
"At last week's inter-Korean summit, the two leaders reaffirmed the fast implementation of April 27's Panmunjeom Declaration. In order to do so, we agreed with the North to hold the high-level talks on June 1 and following talks to discuss military talks to ease the military tension and Red Cross talks for the separated Korean families."
Asked about the list of delegations to be sent to the meeting, Baik said the ministry will make an announcement if they finalize the details.
For the called-off meeting, the North said it would send five delegates led by Ri Son-kwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, a counterpart organization of the South's Ministry of Unification.
The delegation also included Vice Railways Minister Kim Yun-hyok, Vice Sports Minister Won Kil-u, Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland Vice Chairman Pak Yong-il, and Pak Myong-chol of the inter-Korean economic cooperation committee.
South Korea also planned to send a five-member envoy to be led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and accompanied by four other officials, including Vice Transport Minister Kim Jeong-ryeol, Culture Vice Minister Roh Tae-kang, and Korea Forest Service Vice Minister Ryu Kwang-soo.
The meeting will be the first between high-level officials of the two Koreas following the April 27 summit.
