Seoul, June 23 (KCNA Correspondent) -- The 15th north-south
ministerial talks that opened in Seoul on June 22 came to a close
Thursday. Through the talks the north and the south strikingly
demonstrated internally and externally the new feature of the
Korean nation joining efforts and cooperating with each other in
the era after the publication of the June 15 joint declaration,
away from the past framework whereby they quarreled with each other
standing in confrontation to save their faces and found themselves
locked in the meaningless arguments.
Prior to the close of the talks, Kwon Ho Ung, head of the
delegation of the north side, and Jong Tong Yong, chief delegate of
the south side, made speeches.
Kwon Ho Ung said that both sides exchanged views on the principled
and practical issues of definitely putting the north-south
relations on the orbit of national cooperation and boosting them,
guided by the idea of "By our nation itself," the basic spirit of
the June 15 joint declaration, and conducted an exhaustive
discussion on them.
He pointed out that at the talks both sides once again fully
demonstrated at home and abroad their unshakable will to invariably
hold fast to the joint declaration and thoroughly implement it no
matter how the situation may change.
Noting that the two sides have reached a comprehensive and
satisfactory agreement on the immediate and practical tasks to
effect national cooperation in the activities to boost the
inter-Korean relations, he stressed that the talks once again
convinced the Koreans that the idea of "By our nation itself" is
the most correct idea of properly developing those relations and
they should always keep to this road.
There are internal and external challenges to the efforts to
realize national cooperation and the work to achieve common
prosperity but if the north and the south take a patriotic stand to
work for the interests common to the nation in order to become one,
they can surely cope with any rapidly changing situation at home
and abroad and meet any persistent pressure of foreign
forces.
Jong Tong Yong referred, among other things, to the significance of
the talks, noting that the south and the north shared the
understanding that it is necessary to put the dialogue between the
authorities of both sides on a sustainable and regular basis.
At the talks both sides have reached an agreement on many points
from the view of practical utility which calls for placing the
national interests above anything else, he said, the south side is
satisfied with this.
A joint press release was made public at the talks.
On the same day, Ri Hae Chan, prime minister of the south side,
hosted a banquet in honor of the delegation of the north side to
the talks.