In meeting between North Korean delegate Kim Deok-hyeon and South Korean delegate Jeong Hong-jin, the South explains that it wants to see progress within the Red Cross negotiations, while the North presses for a meeting between high level officials.
March 7, 1972
Preliminary Meeting between Delegates of North and South Korea focusing on Official Visits
South: I will now speak of our opinion.
1. We would need to confirm Director of KCIA, Lee Hurak and Director of Organization and Guidance, Kim Yeong-ju as our trusted officials, that is, the superiors who entrusted us to deliver messages and to relay responses responsibly. ([The two] Each exchanged the letters of credibility, confirmed the details and returned the letters. Kim Deok-hyeon seemed to be content with the letter from the Director of KCIA and recorded details of the letter with a sincere face.)
2. The person with the letter of confidence from the Director of KCIA will visit the North. In this case, the letter will be drafted for Kim Yeong-ju, Director of Guidance and Organization. The officials' visits will be kept strictly confidential. Around two officials will visit the North, one delegate with the letter of credence and one assistant for the delegate.
3. We will gladly accept a visit from a delegate carrying Kim Yeong-ju's letter of confidence written towards the Director of the KCIA. If you are unwilling to have our delegate visit the North first, your delegate could visit us first.
4. When our delegate visits the North via Panmunjeom, we would like to obtain a memorandum from Kim Yeong-ju assuring our delegate's safety. When our delegate returns, the memorandum will be returned to you. The procedure is likewise when your delegate visits the South.
5. The purpose of mutual visits will not be prescribed but it will facilitate our exchange of opinions. When we are able to exchange opinions and understand each other, political issues will naturally be discussed in due course.
6. I am aware that you are considering such exchanges with other connections ([Kim] nodded as an expression of agreement), such connections should be discontinued, and we should confirm the exchange as conversations between the Director of KCIA and Kim Yeong-ju, Director of Organization and Guidance.
North: Since it is an issue of significant importance, I will provide a response during our next meeting after I accurately report to high-ranking officials. I suggest our next meeting to be held on Friday, March 10th at Panmun-gak.
South: March 10th sounds good. Since we have a working-level conference [for the Red Cross Conference], we should confirm the time through our assistants. I do not oppose having our meeting at Panmun-gak. However, it will be confirmed through my assistant on March 10th. (When the discussion concluded, Kim Deok-hyeon did not hide his excitement and ordered to bring Ginseng-ju, suggesting a toast.)
<Other things discussed>: [The two] Discussed music, literature, and sports while having drinks.
1. "Tchaikovskii" and "Liszt" were mentioned while discussing music. Kim Deok-hyeon proudly mentioned his wife is a "cellist."
2. The works of "Tolstoy" and "Dostoyevsky" were mentioned while discussing literature.
3. Kim Deok-hyeon mentioned he enjoys playing chess and table tennis.
This meeting lays out the specific procedure of how official visits are to be carried out between North Korea and South Korea.
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