N.Korea, S. Korea military talks break down over ‘The Cheonan’ sinking controversy
October 1st, 2010 - 2:19 pm ICT by ANIBeijing, Oct 1(ANI): The first military talks in two years between the North Korea and South Korea reportedly ended without progress on Thursday, as Pyongyang refused to apologize for the sinking of ‘The Cheonan,’ an ROK warship.
According to China Daily, the talks were held with an intention to ease the prevailing tensions between the two countries but broke down in two hours over “The Cheonan” sinking controversy. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) reportedly denied the accusations and expressed hope that the talks should instead focus on humanitarian issues.
“The ROK strongly urged the DPRK to apologize for and punish those responsible for the attack on the Cheonan warship”, the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
Inter-Korean ties worsened since Pyongyang conducted several missile and nuclear tests in recent years. The military exchange came to a pause after the last such meetings took place on October 2, 2008. Mutual distrust even deteriorated as Seoul, with the backing of Washington, asserted that Pyongyang was involved in torpedoing its warship, which North Korea vehemently denied.
Although Pyongyang had within the last months expressed its conditional willingness to be back at the negotiating table, the ROK had persistently set Pyongyang’s apology for the Cheonan incident as a prerequisite for a resumption of the stalled Six-Party Talks. (ANI)
- S. Korea drops demand for N. Korea apology - Jan 29, 2011
- Military talks between North and South Korea start - Sep 30, 2010
- China reaffirms stance on sinking of S.Korean ship 'Cheonan' - Jul 08, 2010
- 'South Korean warship torpedoed by north's submarine' - May 21, 2010
- South Korea lifts temporary travel ban to North - Jan 04, 2012
- China's 'guarded response' puts onus on both Koreas to establish peace in Peninsula - Nov 24, 2010
- China expresses "deep concern" over US-ROK September military drills - Jul 22, 2010
- S.Korea begins Yellow Sea anti-submarine drills, cocks a snook on N.Korea - Aug 05, 2010
- Talks between UNC and DPRK over S.Korean sunken warship postponed - Jul 13, 2010
- S Korea, US to hold more antisubmarine drills - Aug 19, 2010
- South Korea conducts anti-submarine drills - May 27, 2010
- Kim's son behind attack on South Korea to 'mobilise military and consolidate his power' - Nov 24, 2010
- Six-Party Talks will ease tensions in Korean Peninsula: Chinese FM - Dec 13, 2010
- South says North Korea ready to carry out nuclear test - Apr 24, 2012
- India condemns sinking of South Korean naval warship - May 21, 2010
Tags: accusations, apology, china daily, dprk, humanitarian issues, military exchange, military talks, ministry of defense, mutual distrust, north korea, north korea and south korea, nuclear tests, prerequisite, pyongyang, republic of korea, resumption, s republic of korea, seoul, south korea, warship