남북간 군사합의 이행에 차질... 北, 유해발굴•군사회담에 '무응답'<br /><br />There is still no response from North Korea over South Korea's proposal to hold military talks and to start recovering the remains of those killed during the Korean War.<br />This is in stark contrast to last year,... when the two Koreas took actions to lower military tensions after signing a military agreement in September.<br />Oh Jung-hee tells us more. <br />Inter-Korean military cooperation has stalled... as North Korea remains unresponsive.<br />Starting April 1st, Seoul and Pyeongyang were to begin working together to recover the remains of the war dead in the demilitarized zone in Cheorwon, Gangwon-do Province,... following the agreement made at the September inter-Korean summit.<br />Earlier this month, Seoul notified Pyeongyang that it has formed an excavation team,... but the North is yet to respond.<br />With only three more days to go until April, there are even reports... that if the North doesn't reply, the South may begin the DMZ excavation work alone.<br />When asked whether that will happen, Seoul's defense ministry said:<br />"We are considering various options right now, and we will let you know when things are decided."<br />The two Koreas had also agreed to allow civilian ships to navigate along the Hangang River estuary on a trial basis from next month.<br />But it seems the schedule for that will also need to be changed.<br />To discuss these two issues, Seoul suggested holding military talks this month... but the North hasn't replied.<br />It was on the military front that the two Koreas made the most progress last year after the September summit.<br />They've removed frontline guard posts, disarmed the Joint Security Area of Panmunjeom,... and together surveyed the waterways of the Hangang River estuary.<br />But this year, the North has been lukewarm,... focusing more on its summit with the U.S.<br />And with no response from Pyeongyang on Seoul's proposals,... how the two Koreas can proceed with the plans they've made based on the military agreement is shrouded in uncertainty.<br />Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
