Preliminary Meeting Between Delegates of North and South Korea During Which the Details of Official Visits Laid Out by the South are Accepted

South: Please provide us an accurate response on the issues mentioned during our last meeting.

North: I've accurately reported your words to comrade Kim Yeong-ju who is the Secretary and also the Director of Organization and Guidance. I will deliver his responses accurately from now on.

1. We recognize that your proposal is in an accord with our effort to facilitate our nation's peaceful reunification through the South-North mutual contact and we welcome your proposal.

2. We agree with your willingness to send a high-ranking delegate who has Director Lee Hurak's letter of confidence and his assistant, and we cordially invite them.

3. We will warmly welcome your delegates with the heart of fellow countrymen and we assure their safety and will provide all hospitality. At the same time, we are willing to exchange a memorandum regarding safety (signed by the Director of Organization and Guidance, headed to the Director of KCIA).

4. In this regard, we would like to know when you will send your delegates and when you would like to receive our memorandum. Also we would prefer to have the list of your delegate in advance. You can provide answers to this question today or tomorrow. This is the end of an official statement [from Director Kim Yeong-ju].

South: During your statement, you mentioned you welcome our proposal and are willing to exchange memoranda regarding safety. Does this signify that you completely and clearly agree to our suggestion without any exception?

North: That is correct.

South: I appreciate your complete agreement to our proposal. I will deliver your words to the Director of KCIA accurately. Regarding your question of when and who we will send to Pyongyang, I will provide a response from the Director of KCIA at our meeting on March 14th 10:00 at the Freedom House.

North: Very well. Let's plan on meeting at the Freedom House on March 14th at 10:00.

South: Then we can now conclude exchanging important messages. Also, I'd appreciate if you could provide your response to my question last year regarding how you would like to change the current South-North circumstances.

North: It is better that the high-level officials meet as soon as possible and discuss such issues in person. I do not feel the need for us to discuss the issues at this point since the high-level officials are to meet soon. (Kim Deok-hyeon suggested that we have lunch together when we were done confirming the details of our conversation. We let them know that we had lunch already and declined the offer while we appreciated them offering. He suggested that we should have a light tea and brought out food that was almost a luncheon. The food was prepared at Panmun-gak and was very carefully prepared. The party shared light food and beverages and chatted for about 40 minutes.)

North: Is the delegate who will be sent to the North going to be an official from the KCIA, directly under the supervision of the Director?

South: Such a question from Mr. Kim probably stems from a misunderstanding of our power structure. It is a big mistake assuming the KCIA Director's role as a director of one of many governmental organizations under the National Government Organization Act. I will provide an answer on who we will send as a delegate on March 14th. However, whoever it is, his role is not limited to representing the KCIA Director's occupational authority but will also include his role in politics. In our country, it is most significant that one has the trust from the President and please bear in mind that the Director of KCIA is the official with the deepest trust from the President. (Kim Deok-hyeon was in a good mood throughout and the two exchanged conversation in agriculture and daily lives.)