통일부

1. Executive Summary

o The 2^nd Inter-Korean General-Level Military Talks were held at Mt. Seorak from June 3 to 4, 2004.

­The two Koreas announced an agreement containing four articles addressing preventive measures against accidental naval clashes in the West Sea, cessation of propaganda activities in the Military Demarcation Line areas, elimination of tools used for propaganda, etc.

­The two Koreas agreed to hold a working-level meeting of the Inter-Korean General-Level Military Talks in Gaesong around June 10 to discuss related specific action measures.

Note: Two plenary sessions and five working-level meetings were held.

2. Significance

A. Specific measures will be initiated from June 15 of this year to prevent accidental armed clashes in the West Sea.

o Since the Participatory Government declared its "Policy for Peace & Prosperity," the two Koreas have worked together as described below based on the principle that inter-Korean military cooperation should be balanced with progress made in exchanges and cooperation in the economic, social, and cultural spheres.

­They have consistently exerted efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and so forth so as to promote inter-Korean peace cooperation.

­Such efforts have now brought about tangible results.

o Firstly, as an initial measure to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, it was deemed urgent and important to devise preventive measures against accidental naval clashes in the West Sea. Efforts were concentrated on setting up specific action measures.

­The North concurred with the South's position on the aforementioned matter, and the two Koreas agreed on the following six measures to prevent accidental armed clashes in the West Sea.

Strict control of naval vessels so that they do not enter into confrontations with one another.

Prohibition of unjust physical action against naval vessels and civilian ships of the other side.

Use of international standard radio frequencies (156.8 MHz, 156.6 MHz) to prevent naval vessels from engaging in conflicts with one another and to avoid misunderstandings.

As an auxiliary measure, enactment and utilization of rules governing marine signal flags & signal lights.

Exchange of information on the movement of illegal fishing boats.

Establishment of a communication liaison office on each side by August 15 so as to ensure communication for the prevention of armed clashes in the West Sea, and use of the West Sea area communication line for the time being to exchange opinions related to problems in the West Sea.

o The agreement on preventive measures against accidental clashes in the West Sea will contribute to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

­Additionally, the two Koreas have recognized the previous armed clashes of 1999 and 2002 as opportunities to push for joint efforts to ease tensions between the naval forces of the South and the North.

B. The foundation has been laid to ease inter-Korean military tensions and build trust.

o The two Koreas agreed to cease activities that may offend one another and eliminate the tools used in such activities in the Military Demarcation Line areas in which they had forcefully confronted each other for the past 50 years, using vast military power.

­They have now laid the groundwork on which trust can be fully built, even in the field of the military.

o Since the June 15 Joint Declaration, the two Koreas have ceased the broadcasts that criticized and defamed one another. However,

­It is true that some activities and tools persisted in the Military Demarcation Line area that could provoke misunderstandings and distrust of one another.

­The two Koreas have reached an agreement to cease and eliminate such potential sources of provocation on the occasions of June 15 and August 15 of this year.

­As a result, momentum has been built for moving closer to establishing mutual trust, which is the very foundation of peace, reconciliation, and cooperation between the two Koreas.

o In particular, this agreement will serve as a good precedent for the two building military trust.

C. This agreement will serve as a foundation on which the two Koreas can further promote exchanges and cooperation in the economic sector.

o Until now, inter-Korean military cooperation has been insufficient compared to cooperation in the economic sector. However,

­It is expected that this agreement will provide the momentum for military cooperation as well as economic, social, and cultural cooperation to mutually reap synergistic benefits, leading to the advancement of inter-Korean relations.

3. Major Agreements

The South and the North shared the view that military cooperation is desperately needed if inter-Korean relationship is to make consistent and stable progress.

­The two Koreas agreed that the basic mission of the Inter-Korean General-Level Military Talks is to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and build trust.

o In order to continuously develop inter-Korean relations based on a solid foundation, the South proposed the following.

­Based on the position that advancements in the military field should be balanced with those in the social and cultural fields,

­The South expressed its view that as an initial step to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula, measures ought to be devised urgently so as to prevent accidental clashes in the West Sea.

o The North also said that efforts must be exerted so that unfortunate events would not recur in the West Sea.

­The North expressed that it shared the basic position of the South, and agreed to the specific preventive measures against clashes that the South had proposed.

o The North's favorable reception of this agreement has provided a momentum for the South's plan (i.e. starting with areas that are easy to carry out and are mutually beneficial for both sides and later pursuing arms control) to build military trust.

­Additionally, this agreement will help the fishermen of both sides to continue their fishing activities in a safer environment as a result of mutual cooperation between the military forces of the two Koreas.

o The North has asserted since the previous 1^st Military Talks that the cessation of propaganda, which provokes the other side, and the elimination of the tools used were matters that desperately called for a solution.

o Accepting such arguments of the North, the South proposed specific measures to cease propaganda and eliminate the tools used.

­Specifically, all propaganda activities will be ceased and propaganda tools will be eliminated. If necessary, mutual inspection will be made possible.

o By employing mutually credible measures, the two Koreas will eliminate factors that may provoke one another in the Military Demarcation Line areas where military forces have been confronting one another.

­As a result, momentum has been created to enhance trust for each other and solidify the prevailing trend toward peace, reconciliation, and cooperation between the two Koreas.

o The two Koreas will hold a follow-up working-level meeting in Gaesong around June 10.

­Through the meeting, the two Koreas have agreed to devise specific action measures related to what was agreed on in the 2^nd Inter-Korean General-Level Military Talks, i.e. prevention of accidental clashes in the West Sea, cessation of propaganda activities and elimination of propaganda tools in the Military Demarcation Line areas, etc.

o As the South and the North take turns in hosting the General-Level Military Talks, they are expected to provide opportunities for military officials from both sides to expand exchanges and contacts. It is expected that the expansion of exchanges and contacts will enable the North's military authorities to change their perceptions in the future.

- End of Document -

The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea and the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea held the 2^nd Inter-Korean General-Level Military Talks at Mt. Seorak from June 3 to 4, 2004, and have agreed to the following.

1.Both nations shall exert joint efforts to ease military tensions and solidify peace on the Korean Peninsula.

2.To prevent accidental naval clashes in the West Sea, both nations shall carry out the following measures from June 15, 2004.

Both nations shall strictly control naval vessels (naval ships) to prevent them from entering into confrontations with one another in the West Sea.

Under no circumstances shall either nation impose unjust physical action in the West Sea against naval vessels (naval ships) and civilian ships of the other side.

Both nations shall use international standard radio frequencies (156.8 MHz, 156.6 MHz) to prevent naval vessels (naval ships) from engaging in conflicts with one another and to avoid misunderstandings in cases of being lost in their sea route, being in distress, calling for rescue, etc. in the West Sea.

As an auxiliary measure, both nations shall enact and utilize rules governing marine signal flags & signal lights.

Based on the mutual understanding that accidental clashes may occur in the sensitive waters of the West Sea in the process of enforcing regulations and controlling illegal fishing by fishing boats from a third country, both nations shall mutually cooperate to diplomatically resolve this problem and exchange information on the movement of illegal fishing boats.

Both nations shall use the West Sea area communication line for the time being to exchange opinions related to problems in the West Sea.

To ensure smooth and swift communication for the prevention of naval clashes in the West Sea, both nations shall i) separately extend the existing communication line of the West Sea area to the respective areas of the South and the North; ii) establish a communication liaison office in each area by August 15; and iii) mutually cooperate to modernize the communication liaison office.

3.Both nations have agreed to cease propaganda activities and eliminate propaganda tools in the Military Demarcation Line areas in order to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and eliminate distrust and misunderstandings between the military forces of the two Koreas.

Both nations shall cease all propaganda activities via broadcasts, signboards, leaflets, etc. in the Military Demarcation Line areas from June 15, 2004, which is the 4^th anniversary of the historical June 15 Joint Declaration.

Both nations shall initiate a three-step measure to eliminate all propaganda tools in the Military Demarcation Line areas by August 15, 2004.

· The 1^st step shall take place as a model project from June 16 to 30 in the section between Military Demarcation Line marks No. 0001 and No. 0100, which includes the Panmunjom area and the West Sea area controlled separately by the two Koreas.

· The 2^nd step shall take place from July 1 to 20 in the section between Military Demarcation Line marks No.0100 and No. 0640.

· The 3^rd step shall take place from July 21 to August 15, and involves full elimination of all propaganda tools in the section between Military Demarcation Line marks No. 0640 and No. 1292.

As propaganda tools are eliminated at each step, both nations shall notify each other of the progress, and inspect and confirm from their respective areas whether the other nation has eliminated the propaganda tools. If necessary, both nations may conduct mutual inspections.

As propaganda tools are eliminated at each step, both nations shall report severally to the media on the progress of the elimination of propaganda tools.

Under no circumstances shall either nation reinstall propaganda tools or resume propaganda activities.

4.Both nations agreed to hold follow-up military talks to devise specific implementation measures for the agreements made in this meeting.

June 4, 2004