Preliminary Discussion between North and South Korea at the Freedom House in Panmunjeom on Official Visits

South: I'd like to deliver the message from the Director of KCIA.

1. I have accurately delivered your message from the previous meeting to the Director of KCIA and I'd like to accurately deliver the Director's message to you now.

2. He welcomes your complete agreement to his message and he is glad to hear that the Director of Organization and Guidance has invited the person the Director of KCIA trusts.

3. It is Jang Gi-yeong (ex-Vice Premier and current President of Hankook Ilbo) who is going to carry Director of KCIA's letter of confidence. Although he [now] represents a private business, he is extensively engaged with the government and is a Republican.

His assistant is Jeoung Tae- Yyeon (Hankook Ilbo correspondent to Japan). He is to care for President Jang Gi-yeong's personal needs since he is not in a good health.

4. Jang Gi-yeong and his assistant will visit the North at 12:00, April 25th. I will bring the party to Panmun-gak pretending we are invited for a lunch. I will entrust their guidance to you after I receive Director of Guidance and Organization Kim Yeong-ju's memorandum assuring our delegates' safety. While we would like to send the delegates earlier, we considered that you will have a busy schedule preparing for Premier Kim Il Sung's sixtieth birthday on April 15th and decided April 25th as most appropriate. We considered it is better to avoid any time prior to April 15th and to send the delegates when such a large event is over. Also, the warm weather at the end of April is also preferable considering Jang Gi-yeong's health.

5. He entrusts Jang Gi-yeong's detailed schedule during his visit to your planning and suggests around 10 days is appropriate for his visit. The detailed schedule and duration of stay for President Jang Gi-yeong would be discussed between Mr. Kim Deok-hyeon and me as needed.

6. Jang Gi-yeong's visit to the North does not bear a specific purpose (will not carry correspondences). It merely serves the purpose of communications through mutual exchange of conversation.

7. We suggest the letter of credence from the Director of KCIA to be addressed to
Director of Organization and Guidance, Workers' Party of Korea Kim Yeong-ju. What is your opinion on this?

8. The [appropriate] time for you to visit the South can be before or after Jang Gi-yeong's visit to the North. The Director of KCIA will warmly welcome regardless of when. Regarding this matter, we would appreciate if you could inform us in advance of when and who you will send to the South.
I have accurately delivered the Director's message.

North: I will accurately deliver the Director of KCIA's message to the Director of Organization and Guidance and I will deliver his responses when we meet at Panmun-gak on March 16th, 10 o'clock. Vice Director of Organization and Guidance, Central Committee, Korean Worker's Party will greet them [the delegates] from Panmun-gak. How about visiting before April 25th? Our circumstance is that we are available to invite [the delegates] earlier.

South: I believe you will be occupied due to the event on April 15th. Also we prefer the end of April as it is warmer considering President Jang Gi-yeong's health. We would like to maintain the date since the Director made the decision with such considerations in account. (Exchanged conversations over light food with cola and beer. Kim Deok-hyeon happily enjoyed tangerine, banana, cola and beer.)

South: What I'd like to speak about from now on is clearly my personal opinion. I'd like to speak about a few things with this fact stated. President Jang Gi-yeong's visit to the North is only to open up a path between the South and the North. The issues regarding the South and the North must be discussed between Lee Hu-rak, Director of KCIA and Kim Yeong-ju, Director of Organization and Guidance in a third country, for instance, “Paris” or “Geneva” in order to reach a conclusion, shouldn't they?? In advance for such an event, we must enhance our mutual understanding. Isn't President Jang Gi-yeong's visit or a visit from your delegate preparation for such an event? In fact, if I had to speak about Director Lee Hu-rak, he is one with a wide breadth of thoughts and is capable of making daring decisions. Also, he has the most extensive knowledge on the international situation. Director Lee detests a third country arguing on the issues of the Korean Peninsula and always suggests that our issues must be solved through our own will.

I am aware that the Director of Organization and Guidance, Kim Yeong-ju is in effect the second in power in North Korea (Kim Deok-hyeon showed a mild smile). Ultimately, the South-North issues will be solved most swiftly and favorably through a direct meeting and agreement between Director Lee Hu-rak and Director of Organization and Guidance, Kim Yeong-ju. What are your opinions on this, Mr. Kim?

Although this is a trivial matter, the issues regarding mutual designations are to be solved most efficiently when the Director of KCIA and Director of Organization and Guidance meet. What do you think about the Directors meeting in a third country, Mr. Kim?

North: I personally believe it is a brilliant idea. I've mentioned the high-level officials holding conferences. (Re-stating it is a personal idea, he spoke as follows reading through his notes written in advance.) Our country is not insignificant in terms of land or resources. In addition, we have a glorious national history. [However] We have suffered from having to become slaves of a ruined country during the Japanese occupation and today from division. If we developed the affluent underground resources without being divided, we could become a powerful country. Observing the domestic and international circumstances, now is the time to eliminate division and develop through our own power. We consider Director Lee Hu-rak's statement on excluding the third country's interference as certainly valid. We cannot expect the third countries to provide us with charity. We must not argue for our own beliefs. Rather our people must stand as one regardless of our differences in thoughts and ideologies. We are also inclined to the self-reliance and self-determination that you support. We believe we must promote self-reliance and self-determination in deed as well as in name. Our history tells us that we ruined ourselves by worshiping the powerful. Whether we are Communists or Nationalists, whatever we support, a divided motherland must not be left as a heritage to our descendants. We must leave them a unified motherland. In this context, it is of no use that we argue about our past. We should set aside what happened in the past. Like the saying “Blood runs thicker than water,” our people have been sharing a bloodline for almost five thousand years.

If we pooled together, we may not be able to become a strong power but we will be able to keep away from being treated contemptuously or disrespected. Furthermore, we must not be treated with contempt or disrespect and depreciated by the big powers. We have graceful mountains and streams and have a beautiful motherland. In this term, we welcome your entrance (referring to the South's visit to the North). First of all, I must meet with Mr. Jeong more often and cooperate with you to promote the high-level officials meeting. I personally support your opinion in whole. I am also supportive of the idea that Director Lee Hu-rak and Comrade Kim Yeong-ju meet. The details should be left to be discussed by them.

South: What Mr. Kim mentioned is perfectly in line with what I mentioned before. We, as aides should make efforts to provide advice to our superiors so that we are able to solve the South-North issues. Mr. Kim and I both carry credentials therefore we should meet whenever it is necessary. President Jang Gi-yeong's visit is to open a path for [mutual] visits. What Mr. Kim and I will discuss is going to be the practical part. I would suggest that we allow unrestricted visits between the South and the North for the two of us. I will visit Pyongyang with permission from Director Lee Hu-rak and you could visit Seoul with the permission from Director of Organization and Guidance, Kim Yeong-ju.

North: I personally believe it is a brilliant idea.