09-151.pdf

on Cheju Island on April 16, 1996, suggested to North Korea that
four-party talks should be held. After the first round of talks were held
on December 9-10, 1997, in Geneva with North Korea, China, South
Korea and the US participating, another five rounds took place there
from March 16 to 21 and October 21 to 24, 1998, and from January
18 to 23, April 24 to 27 and August 5 to 9, 1999. At the first two
rounds, South Korea and the US asserted that subcommittees to work
on a peace regime, tension reduction and confidence-building should
first be established. Since North Korea argued that the talks should
focus on the withdrawal of American troops and the signing of a North
Korea-US peace treaty, there was hardly any progress.
Although agreement was reached at the third round to form two
subcommittees that would work on a peace regime and tension
reduction respectively, no results were reached at the fourth round
owing to the different views of the two Koreas. North Korea still
wanted to discuss the withdrawal of American troops and the signing
of a North Korea-US peace treaty. In contrast, South Korea wanted to
open a direct telephone line between military authorities, to notify
each other of major military exercises and allow limited inspection of
them and, finally, to exchange visits by military officials. At the fifth
round, North and South Korea repeated their different positions. The
sixth round ended without setting a new date to meet. 327 Like the
1954 Geneva conference, the talks failed owing to incompatible
positions.
327_ Jhe, op. cit., 2000, pp. 106-107, 281-3.
North Korea Incapacitates the MAC and the NNSC in the 1990s
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