Koreas Resume Economic Talks

Koreas Resume Economic Talks

South and North Korea reopened talks for bilateral economic cooperation in Seoul on Tuesday (Aug. 26) as representatives from the countries and four other regional players are set to begin critical six-way talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear standoff in Beijing on Wednesday.

A six-member North Korean delegation, led by Park Chang-ryon, chairman of the inter-Korean economic cooperation promotion committee, and 23 support personnel arrived here from Pyongyang via Beijing aboard a commercial South Korean flight.

During the three-day bilateral negotiations, the first official encounter since the death of Hyundai Asan chairman Chung Mong-hun early this month, the two sides reviewed the progress of three major joint economic projects: the reconnection of cross-border railways and roads and the construction of an industrial complex in Gaeseong, North Korea.

The South Korean delegation, led by Vice Minister of Finance and Economy Kim Gwang-lim, held the first talks with the North Korean delegation in the afternoon. Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun hosted a welcoming banquet for the visitors in the evening.

The inter-Korean economic talks were originally planned to run for four days but were cut short at the North’s request.

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