The North Korean Cabinet has issued what appears to be a refusal of South Korean’s suggested working-level contact to deliberate issues of separated family reunions and offered support for pest control at the Koguryo Tombs.
The publication of the Cabinet, Minju Chosun issued the refusal, asserting in a commentary piece on Saturday, “The South Chosun authorities speak loudly of some form of ‘reunions’ and ‘exchanges’ while at the same time emphasizing adherence to the ‘May 24th Measures’; it is a blatant deception.”
“The traitor faction’s blatant, illogical lies show their intent to mislead domestic and international public opinion and evade responsibility for inter-Korean relations,” it went on, adding, “If the traitor faction really hopes to see separated family reunions and cooperation and exchanges, it is only right that they first answer the questions provided by our Republic’s National Defense Commission policy bureau.”
On February 2nd, the National Defense Commission released a set of nine ‘open questions’ to the South, calling satisfactory answers a precondition of dialogue. The issues presented therein included South Korea’s “rude” handling of the death of Kim Jong Il, the Cheonan incident and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. South Korea did not issue a response to the demand.
However, the South Korean government did then issue two suggestions of its own, one on support for pest control measures and another, issued through the Korea National Red Cross, requesting a working-level meeting on separated families.
