After a last-minute cancellation by North Korea of a planned inter-Korean civic groups' joint event in China, the South Korean Committee for the Implementation for the June 15 Joint Declaration says they were able to hold a working-level meeting with the North Koreans.<br />During last night's "frank" dialogue, the North Koreans reportedly told the South Koreans they had to cancel because they felt the objectives were being distorted.<br />Oh Jung-hee reports. <br />Three South Korean civic groups were originally supposed to meet with their North Korean counterparts this week in Chinese city of Shenyang.<br />Those are... the South Korean Committee for Implementation of the June 15th Joint Declaration, the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, and the Movement for One Korea.<br />Each of them was to meet with their respective North Korean counterpart for one or two days from Thursday until Sunday.<br />But as they arrived in Shenyang on Thursday, the North unilaterally called off all the meetings.<br /><br />Later in the day, one of the three groups the South Korean Committee for Implementation of the June 15th Declaration had the chance to talk with its North Korean counterpart.<br />The committee says... it had some "frank" talks with the North Korean committee and the Overseas committee.<br />There, the North explained... they had to cancel the scheduled meetings... because the objectives were being distorted through South Korean media. <br />They said... they wanted to discuss ways to resolve the current impasse in inter-Korean relations... but South Korean media were highlighting some other (quote)"secondary" issues. <br /><br />Meanwhile, the South Korean Implementation Committee says... the three sides shared concerns about the lull in inter-Korean diplomacy.<br />They agreed they face a (quote)"grave situation" now... where inter-Korean ties could either move forward or make a U-turn to the past.<br />The groups promised to sincerely implement inter-Korean summit declarations (quote)"autonomously." <br />The word "autonomous" is a term North Korea uses to urge the South to stop heeding what the U.S. thinks in cooperating with the North.<br />Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News. <br />
