The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) began holding ministerial talks yesterday in a new bid to move overall inter-Korean ties back on the track of reconciliation.

As part of a broader pattern of inter-Korean meetings and dialogue that embraces Japan and the United States, these negotiations have been viewed as having great significance.

The talks came a week after generals from the DPRK and the US-led United Nations Command (UNC) met to discuss confidence-building measures and ways to prevent future clashes such as June's North-South sea battle, the first such high-level meeting since November 2000.

The peace process in the Korean Peninsula since the end of Korean War has never been a smooth one.

However, since the historical summit meeting between two Korean leaders in June 2000, there has been great progress in easing bilateral relations.

The hardline policy adopted by Washington since George W. Bush took office has largely hindered the Peninsula's peace process.

To make matters worse, in the wake of September 11, Bush defined Pyongyang as a part of the "axis of evil." That has substantially slowed down the pace of exchange and cooperation between Pyongyang and Seoul.

A further blow was the large-scale joint military exercise of the ROK and the United States, behind which was the hardline policy of the United States toward the DPRK.

The June 29 naval skirmish between the two Koreas gave ammunition to hardliners from both Seoul and Washington who want to block improving relations with Pyongyang.

However, both Pyongyang and Seoul have made timely efforts to resume dialogue after the naval clash, which largely contributed to creating a more positive atmosphere.

Pyongyang's recent active diplomacy surely further helped the re-opening of talks on bilateral relations between the two Koreas.

Nevertheless, to maintain the inter-Korean cooperative initiative, all sides should keep in mind that future development of the bilateral relations relies on both cooperating internal and external elements.

(China Daily August 13, 2002)