ID :
171609
Tue, 03/29/2011 - 14:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/171609
The shortlink copeid
Two Koreas agree to continue study on volcanic threat
(ATTN: CORRECTS dateline; TRIMS; RECASTS lead, headline; ADDS N. Korean delegate's behavior in para 10)
By Sam Kim
MUNSAN, South Korea, March 29 (Yonhap) -- Experts from South and North Korea agreed Tuesday to advance their joint study of volcanic threats from a famed mountain in the North, striking a rare chord of harmony despite high tensions between their countries.
The sides did not agree on a date for another round of talks even though the North insisted that they gather again in early April, a proposal the South would "quickly review," Ryu In-chang, a Kyungpook National University professor of geology, told reporters.
Earlier in the day, three experts from the North and four from the South, including Ryu, huddled at a South Korean checkpoint building in this western town of Munsan that abuts the heavily armed border between the Koreas.
The meeting, the first of its kind, was aimed at assessing the odds of a volcanic eruption at Mount Paekdu, the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula.
The 2,750-meter-high peak, deemed the origin of the Korean nation in lore, last erupted in 1903, but experts warn it may still have an active core, citing topographical signs and satellite images.
Pyongyang proposed the meeting in mid-March, piggybacking on rising fears of natural disasters after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami on March 11 sparked a nuclear crisis in Japan.
The proposal also came amid signs that the two rival countries were seeking to ease tension in a bid to set the mood for the resumption of international nuclear talks on the North.
In a counter-proposal later accepted by the North, South Korea downgraded the talks to a civilian level of academic nature, suspecting the cash-strapped neighbor is seeking aid.
"We conducted the discussions with sympathy for the need for future joint studies," Ryu said in a briefing following the one-day meeting that marked a rare moment of cooperation between the Koreas.
Yoon Yong-geun, chief North Korean delegate, would not speak publicly either before or after the meeting, only smiling at journalists asking him questions as he left the venue.
The relations between the Koreas remain at the worst point in years after a series of incidents that claimed dozens of South Korean lives last year, including the North's bombardment of the South Korean island of Yeonpeyong in the Yellow Sea in November.
In an effort to defuse tensions, the sides held colonel-level defense talks in February but to no avail as the North continued to refuse to accept responsibility for the incidents, including the March sinking of a South Korean warship in the Yellow Sea.
Experts have warned that an eruption at Mount Paekdu would cause political and economic chaos, even thwarting the stability of the communist regime in Pyongyang. In Europe last year, an Icelandic volcano caused massive flight disruptions, paralyzing air traffic and stymieing various political and economic activities.
Concerns over Mount Paekdu further rose after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake hit China in 2002. Some argue North Korea's nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 have stimulated the volcanic core of the mountain.
Mount Paekdu is considered sacred by people of both Koreas. It is mentioned in South Korea's national anthem while Pyongyang claims its 69-year-old leader, Kim Jong-il, was born there, one of the most controversial elements of a personality cult surrounding him.
South and North Korea remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce instead of a peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
By Sam Kim
MUNSAN, South Korea, March 29 (Yonhap) -- Experts from South and North Korea agreed Tuesday to advance their joint study of volcanic threats from a famed mountain in the North, striking a rare chord of harmony despite high tensions between their countries.
The sides did not agree on a date for another round of talks even though the North insisted that they gather again in early April, a proposal the South would "quickly review," Ryu In-chang, a Kyungpook National University professor of geology, told reporters.
Earlier in the day, three experts from the North and four from the South, including Ryu, huddled at a South Korean checkpoint building in this western town of Munsan that abuts the heavily armed border between the Koreas.
The meeting, the first of its kind, was aimed at assessing the odds of a volcanic eruption at Mount Paekdu, the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula.
The 2,750-meter-high peak, deemed the origin of the Korean nation in lore, last erupted in 1903, but experts warn it may still have an active core, citing topographical signs and satellite images.
Pyongyang proposed the meeting in mid-March, piggybacking on rising fears of natural disasters after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami on March 11 sparked a nuclear crisis in Japan.
The proposal also came amid signs that the two rival countries were seeking to ease tension in a bid to set the mood for the resumption of international nuclear talks on the North.
In a counter-proposal later accepted by the North, South Korea downgraded the talks to a civilian level of academic nature, suspecting the cash-strapped neighbor is seeking aid.
"We conducted the discussions with sympathy for the need for future joint studies," Ryu said in a briefing following the one-day meeting that marked a rare moment of cooperation between the Koreas.
Yoon Yong-geun, chief North Korean delegate, would not speak publicly either before or after the meeting, only smiling at journalists asking him questions as he left the venue.
The relations between the Koreas remain at the worst point in years after a series of incidents that claimed dozens of South Korean lives last year, including the North's bombardment of the South Korean island of Yeonpeyong in the Yellow Sea in November.
In an effort to defuse tensions, the sides held colonel-level defense talks in February but to no avail as the North continued to refuse to accept responsibility for the incidents, including the March sinking of a South Korean warship in the Yellow Sea.
Experts have warned that an eruption at Mount Paekdu would cause political and economic chaos, even thwarting the stability of the communist regime in Pyongyang. In Europe last year, an Icelandic volcano caused massive flight disruptions, paralyzing air traffic and stymieing various political and economic activities.
Concerns over Mount Paekdu further rose after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake hit China in 2002. Some argue North Korea's nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 have stimulated the volcanic core of the mountain.
Mount Paekdu is considered sacred by people of both Koreas. It is mentioned in South Korea's national anthem while Pyongyang claims its 69-year-old leader, Kim Jong-il, was born there, one of the most controversial elements of a personality cult surrounding him.
South and North Korea remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce instead of a peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
