South Korean military calls for accord with its rival North<\/p>\n
Sang-Hun choe, Associated Press\/Seoul<\/p>\n
The North and South Korean militaries on Thursday discussed how
\nto implement an agreement aimed at easing hostilities along their
\nborder, as the South sought military cooperation with its former
\nbattlefield foe following a U.S. plan to curtail American troops
\nhere.<\/p>\n
South Korea's efforts to ease tensions along the Demilitarized
\nZone, the world's most heavily armed border, gained an added
\nurgency after Washington said earlier this week that it wanted to
\nwithdraw one-third of the 37,000 American troops in South Korea
\nby the end of next year.<\/p>\n
U.S. troops have stayed here since the 1950-53 Korean War,
\nbuttressing South Korea's defense against the communist North. A
\nU.S. troop cut would force Seoul to expand its military budget
\nand - many South Koreans fear - could leave the Korean Peninsula
\na less stable place should the North Korean army attempt border
\nskirmishes, as it did in 1999 and 2002.<\/p>\n
\"We inevitably have to seek inter-Korean military cooperation,
\ngiven changes taking place in the security situation on the
\nKorean Peninsula,\" said South Korean Unification Minister Jeong
\nSe-hyun.<\/p>\n
At Kaesong, a North Korean town just north of the western
\nborder, colonels of the two countries' militaries met to flesh
\nout details of an accord struck last week in the first face-to-
\nface meeting of generals from the North and South since the
\nKorean War.<\/p>\n
At the talks last week, the two sides agreed to adopt a
\nstandard radio frequency and signaling system for their navies to
\navoid confusion that could lead to clashes at sea.<\/p>\n
They also agreed to end propaganda along their land border.
\nLoudspeaker broadcasts will be stopped, and signboards will be
\ndismantled, beginning next week.<\/p>\n
Navy boats from the two sides clashed in 1999 and 2002 and
\nanother such confrontation could complicate international
\nnegotiations aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons program.<\/p>\n
Both Koreas want to avoid deadly naval clashes during the
\ncurrent crab-catching season, when fishing boats from the two
\ncountries operate along their poorly defined western maritime
\nborder.<\/p>\n
The inter-Korean military talks have coincided with
\ndiscussions between Seoul and its key ally Washington on
\nrealigning U.S. troops stationed in the South to meet American
\ngoals of reducing its forces abroad and making them more
\nflexible.<\/p>\n
The United States promised to keep its main ground combat unit
\n- the First Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division - in South Korea
\neven after the troop cut, Kim Sook, a senior South Korean Foreign
\nMinistry official, said in an interview with Seoul's PBC Radio on
\nThursday. The division's 2nd Brigade, consisting of 3,600 ground
\ntroops, is scheduled to move to Iraq this summer.<\/p>\n
On the eve of Thursday's talks, North Korea accused the
\nSouth's navy of incursions across the maritime border
\nconstituting \"a very dangerous military gamble which may spark
\noff another skirmish.\"<\/p>\n
Despite the warning, however, North Korea showed a \"sincere
\nattitude\" during Thursday's talks, Jeong said.<\/p>\n
The talks were continuing on Thursday night, 12 hours after
\nthey began, a Defense Ministry spokesman said. No further details
\nwere available.<\/p>\n
The talks followed South Korean news reports that the North
\nrecently successfully tested what is thought to be the engine for
\nits Taepodong-2 missile.<\/p>\n
Analysts believe the missile could be capable of reaching the
\nUnited States, although there are widespread doubts about its
\nrange and accuracy.<\/p>\n
The reports could not be verified. But Jeong said that if the
\nreports were true, the test firing was likely a negotiating
\ntactic ahead of upcoming six-nation talks on the North's nuclear
\nweapons program.<\/p>\n
The United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia are
\nexpected to meet this month in Beijing for those talks, South
\nKorean officials have said.<\/p>\n
North and South Korea often accuse each other of violating
\ntheir shared border. The South recognizes a maritime border
\ndemarcated by the United Nations after the end of the Korean War,
\nbut the North claims a boundary further south.<\/p>\n
The Korean War ended in a truce, but the two sides have yet to
\nsign a peace treaty.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/south-korean-military-calls-for-accord-with-its-rival-north-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}