| October 2 |
- The Committee for the Peaceful
Reunification of the Fatherland issues a statement calling
for the South to fulfill South-North joint declarations,
saying “It is our firm will to achieve independent
unification, peace, and prosperity with the North-South
joint declarations as a milestone for unification.”
|
| October 3 | - Cheondogyo and the Dhangoon National
Peace and Unification Council hold a joint event to mark the
National Foundation Day of Korea.
|
| October 3 | - North Korea
notifies that high-level officials plan to visit the South
via an official who is participating in the Asian Games, to
which the South agrees.
|
| October 4 | - North Korea’s
senior delegation (Hwang Pyong-so, Director of the General
Political Bureau, and Choe Ryong-hae and Kim Yang-gon,
secretaries of the Worker’s Party Central Committee) visits
the South and agrees to hold the 2nd high-level talks
between late October and early November.
|
| October 6 | - At the
chief secretaries’ meeting, President Park urges the North
to show its will to improve inter-Korean relations while
stressing the efforts to make inter-Korean talks
regular.
|
| October 7 |
- As a North Korean patrol boat
crosses the Northern Limit Line (NLL) near Yeonpyeong
Island, a skirmish takes place between South and North
Korean naval vessels for the first time in five years.
|
| October 7 | - Regarding the skirmish that occurred
near the NLL in the West Sea, the North sends a message
proposing an emergency contact between North Korean envoy
Kim Yong-chol and Kim Kwan-jin, the chief of the National
Security Office at Panmunjeon.
|
| October 7 | - The South
sends a message expressing its position that the NLL needs
to be respected and observed and that the relevant matters
can be discussed through high-level contacts or military
talks.
|
| October 8 | - The North again sends a message
proposing an emergency contact.
- In response, the
South sends a messaging proposing to hold a closed military
officials’ meeting on October 15th, to which the North
agrees.
|
| October 10 |
- North Korea fires shots at the
balloons containing anti-North Korea leaflets launched by
the South’s civic organizations (the Fighters for Free North
Korea and the Campaign for Helping North Korea in Direct
Way), and some of the shots fall on the Civilian Control
Line of the South, and in response, the ROK army returns
fire.
|
| October 10 | - The South sends a message strongly
warning the North regarding the firing at leaflet-carrying
balloons.
|
| October 11 |
- The North Korean delegates
participate in the Incheon Asian Para Games (October
11-25).
|
| October 12 |
- A spokesperson of the North Korean
delegation for high-level talks, in a statement, mentions
that, “There is still an opportunity to make choice,” urging
the South to change its position.
|
| October 13 | - At the 2nd
meeting of the Presidential Preparatory Committee for
Unification, President Park emphasizes the importance of
inter-Korean dialogue and asks to make good use of
high-level talks as a chance to improve inter-Korean
relations.
- - At the same time, the President points
out the contradictory aspects of inter-Korean relations, for
example, agreeing on the North’s senior delegation’s visit
to the South and high-level contacts while trading fire near
the NLL and the Military Demarcation Line (DML), and
stresses that the ROK government will maintain its
consistent policy stance.
|
| October 13 | - The head of
the South Korean delegation for high-level contacts sends a
message to his North Korean counterpart proposing to hold
the 2nd high-level contacts at Tongilgak on the North Korean
side of Panmunjeom on October 30th.
|
| October 13 | - A joint
Buddhist service is held to mark the restoration of Shingye
Temple at Mt. Geumgang.
|
| October 15 | - The military
officials from South and North Korea hold talks, but the
talks end without any agreements (Panmunjeom).
- -
The North delivers its positions: △ Banning the South’s
vessels from entering the West Sea Maritime Military
Demarcation Line, △ Halting the scattering of anti-North
Korea leaflets at the civilian level, and △ Calling upon the
South, including the press, to stop its slander. In
response, the South △ Urges the North to follow the NLL, and
says that it is △ Impossible to control civic organizations’
activities and the press.
|
| October 16 | - In a public
report by the Korean Central News Agency, the North
criticizes the South’s attitude during the process of the
military talks and threatens to fire shots aimed at civic
organizations, arguing that the outlook for high-level talks
remains gloomy.
|
| October
16 | - The ROK government △
Expresses regret that the North distorted the contents
regarding the military officials’ contacts and threatened
shots aimed at civic organizations, and states its positions
that △ it seeks to ease tensions and improve inter-Korean
relations through dialogue, and expects to hold the 2nd
high-level talks.
|
| October
16 | - The Committee for the
Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland holds a joint
prayer service for a peaceful reunification of Korea.
|
| October 16 | - The ROK government decides to provide
support of 550 million won (the North pays 203 million won)
for the cost of the North’s delegates for participating in
the Incheon Asian Games through deliberation by the
Inter-Korean Exchanges and Cooperation Promotion
Council.
|
| October 20 |
- The head of the North Korean
delegation for general-level military talks sends a message
to his South Korean counterpart criticizing that the South
announced the warning and fired a shot at ships on patrol
near the North’s Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and
threatening to take retaliatory measures.
|
| October 20 | - The
head of the South Korean delegation for general-level
military talks sends a message to his North Korean
counterpart stressing that these are legitimate processes
against the North’s provocative actions of crossing the MDL
(October 18th and 19th) and expressing regret over the
North’s shifting the responsibility to the South. The ROK
government urges the North to take measures to prevent such
incidents from happening again and expresses its firm, stern
position against the North’s provocations.
|
| October 22 | - The
North Korean delegation for high-level talks issues a
statement calling for the South’s change in attitude
regarding the scattering of leaflets as a condition for
holding high-level contacts and threatening an end to
inter-Korean relations.
|
| October 23 | - The
Unification Ministry spokesperson urges the North to stop
unilateral arguments and respect the agreements made between
Seoul and Pyongyang.
|
| October
26 | - The Secretariat of the
National Defense Commission sends a message to the National
Security Office arguing that the ROK government overlooked
the scattering of leaflets conducted during the night by
conservative civic organizations even though their
leaflet-spreading during the day fell apart on October 25th,
and sating that the South should think about if high-level
talks can be held.
|
| October
27 | - The National Security
Office at the Blue House sends a message to the National
Defense Commission clarifying that the ROK government’s
position regarding civic organizations’ scattering of
leaflets remains unchanged and calling upon the North to
express its position on the 2nd high-level talks.
|
| October 28 |
- The National Security Office at the Blue House sends a
message to the National Defense Commission urging the North
to clearly express its position on the South’s proposal to
hold the 2nd high-level talks on October 30th by October
29th.
|
| October 29 | - The Secretariat of the National Defense
Commission sends a message to the National Security Office
at the Blue House claiming that the South neglects the
scattering of the leaflets and seeks the collapse of the 2nd
high-level talks and demanding that the South make a choice
whether to hold the high-level talks or to continue to cling
to the scattering of the leaflets.
|
| October 29 | - The
Unification Ministry spokesperson, in his commentary,
repeats the ROK government’s position on the scattering of
the leaflets and expresses regret that the North made this
issue a precondition for the high-level talks, making it
impossible to hold the 2nd high-level talks on October
30th.
|
| October 30 | - The Inter-Korean Joint Board for the
Compilation of Gyeoremal-keunsajeon (Big Dictionary of the
Korean People’s Language) visits the North to hold an
inter-Korean joint compilation conference in Pyongyang from
October 30th to November 18th.
|
