South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon and North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun met Thursday and issued a joint press statement prior to the 11th Asean Regional Forum in Jankarta, Indonesia.
This is the second time the foreign ministers of the two Koreas have issued joint statement--the first one occurring in 2000.
The statement recognized that both sides understand the need to foster cooperation and exchanges.
According to Chosun Ilbo the two sides reaffirmed that the 2000 Joint Declaration, the fundamental building block for intra-Korean reconciliation, cooperation, and peaceful unification.
A key aspect of the new press statement is the shared understanding that a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue through the six-party talks would contribute to the stability on the Korean Peninsula and promote inter-Korean economic cooperation.
In a related story, North Korea had a meeting with U.S State Secretary Colin Powell on Friday, July 2 at the Asean forum. Colin Powell met with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun for 20 minutes Friday morning and discussed their respective plans to solve the North Korean nuclear issue. Powell reaffirmed the U.S. offer presented to North Korea during latest round of six-way talks
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