Korean defense ministers open historic talks

CHEJU, South Korea (CNN) -- The defense ministers of the two Koreas began landmark talks Monday, with South Korea expected to propose major confidence-building measures.

The talks are the first between the defense chiefs from the two sides since the division of the Korean Peninsula in 1945 and the 1950-53 Korean War. They are also the most important contacts since the historic June summit between the leaders of the two Koreas.

These first talks are expected to be limited to cooperation on the railway and highway links. But with more than 50 years of hostility between the two Koreas, even such a modest first move is being considered a giant step toward peace on the Korean Peninsula.

VIDEO CNN's Sohn Jie-Ae reports on the future of relations between North and South Korea Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     MESSAGE BOARD North and South Korea

The talks began with South Korean Defense Minister Cho Sung-tae sitting opposite North Korean Armed Forces Minister Vice Marshall Kim Il Chol, with both flanked by four other delegates, at a hotel on the southern resort island of Cheju.

The two sides are scheduled to have two rounds of talks; the first round on Monday and the second on Tuesday.

Rail, road projects may bridge divide

While both Koreas have silenced propaganda broadcasts, little has been done to reduce the artillery, or the about 2 million soldiers deployed along the border area.

But that could change

A primary topic in the talks is the construction of railway and highway links between the two Koreas, a project the South has already started.

The neighboring Koreas have silenced propaganda broadcasts, but about 2 million soldiers are still deployed along their border

The new transport links will go through the border, and will need the cooperation of soldiers from both sides to avoid about a million mines scattered throughout the border area.

Seoul has said it will mobilize thousands of soldiers to lay the groundwork and clear mines along the construction site. And North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is said to have promised to use soldiers to clear the northern section.

If military officials of the two sides can agree to use their military might for this peaceful purpose, many would consider it the most important sign yet those tensions are actually ebbing on the Korean peninsula.

But opposition members in the South caution against moving too quickly. They warn that railway and highway links could provide the North with a faster and easier way of launching an attack against the south.

"To prepare for this contingency, we will reinforce firepower and obstacles along the roads," South Korean Defense Minister Cho told CNN.

Seoul has also reaffirmed its strong military alliance with the United States, even with the rapprochement with the North.

On Sunday, the North Korean delegation walked through the truce village of Panmunjom, becoming the first North Korean officials to cross the heavily guarded border since the Korean War.

North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war since they have yet to sign a peace treaty to replace the armistice signed at the end of

CNN Seoul Bureau Chief Sohn Jie-Ae contributed to this report.

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Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
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