Denuclearization top priority in talks: ROK minister

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-28 14:54

SEOUL: The denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will top agenda of any inter-Korean talks, the Republic of Korea's (ROK) Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said on Wednesday.

While speaking to a parliamentary forum, Hyun told lawmakers that inter-Korean talks are aimed to pave the way for the coexistence and co-prosperity of the two countries, as well as bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, and eventually achieve reunification. Therefore, the DPRK's nuclear program must be resolved first, according to the country's Yonhap News Agency.

Hyun also urged Pyongyang to reconsider the ROK's proposal of "grand bargain," which calls on the DPRK to abandon its nuclear program and complete irreversible denuclearization in exchange for a security guarantee and economic aid granted by the international community.

He said the government expects the "grand bargain" to "kick off on a full scale by means of inter-Korean dialogue."

The "grand bargain" was proposed by the ROK President Lee Myung-bak during his trip to the United Nations in September.

Hyun said Friday that his government is open to an inter-Korean summit, although he couldn't give details on whether the two Koreas are in the process of setting up the negotiation table, noting that the South Korean government needs to take various conditions such as progress on the DPRK's nuclear issue and whether the inter-Korean relations will be able to develop sincerely.

Meanwhile, Hyun was reluctant to give comments on recent media reports that the two Koreas are secretly having contacts to discuss over an inter-Korean summit, the first since the inauguration of the Lee Myung-bak regime if held.

Expectations on the inter-Korean summit hiked earlier this month when a senior Pentagon official said that the DPRK proposed an inter- Korean summit, which the White House immediately downplayed, saying there was "misunderstanding" in communication with the ROK government.

However, since the US report, local media reports have also been poured on secret meeting held overseas between high-level officials of both sides, drawing more attention to the issue from in and out of the country.