North Korea's 'Axe Atrocity' Sparks Outburst at Inter-Korean Talks Two Days Later

May Pilot Release Followed by 'Nam-Buk Meeting Archives' Disclosure
Excluding Political Sector...1970s Red Cross Meeting Records
Ministry of Unification "Policy for Disclosure Project...To Continue Next Year"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] August 20, 1976. Despite the midsummer weather, a cold tension flowed between the South and North Korean delegations sitting face-to-face at Panmunjom. This was because it was only two days after the brutal 'Axe Massacre' incident, where North Korean soldiers mercilessly killed two U.S. military officers with an axe in the Joint Security Area (JSA) within Panmunjom.

The South Korean representative was the first to break the silence. He said, "A murder incident occurred at Panmunjom under the murder order of your security officer." Bang! In response to the South Korean representative's words, the North Korean representative slammed his fist hard on the table. Then he shouted, "Stop it," and angrily called it a "treasonous remark slandering the Supreme Commander Comrade."

Even at the Red Cross talks convened for peace, the South and North fiercely confronted each other. Especially regarding the joint task of 'separated families,' both sides were completely at odds. North Korea, even 40 years ago, pushed demands that suited their tastes and blamed the South. This is the story contained in the 'Inter-Korean Talks Records' released by the Ministry of Unification on the 30th.

North and South Red Cross Delegations Exchange Agreement at 1st Main Meeting
[Photo by Ministry of Unification]

This record consists of documents from the inter-Korean Red Cross talks conducted from 1972 to 1981, totaling 3,028 pages. This is the second time that inter-Korean talks records, which had not been disclosed externally, have been made available to the general public following a pilot release in May. The previously released documents contained some content from the early 1970s inter-Korean talks.

The most striking aspect of this record is the clearly divergent positions of the South and North regarding the 'separated families' issue.

At the beginning of the talks, both South and North selected separated families as the first agenda item. This was because it was a priority issue given the special situation of division and was considered the easiest matter for both sides to approach. However, looking at the positions of the South and North as shown in the records, the more the talks progressed?39 sessions over five years from August 1972 to December 1977?the wider the gap in their stances became.

First, on agenda item 1, 'Address and Life Status Confirmation Project,' the South and North clashed. The South proposed that the Red Cross should oversee the project, exchanging documents using common forms recognized by the International Red Cross, considering the practical realities of both sides. In contrast, North Korea insisted that it should be done through 'direct visits.'

At that time, the South suspected North Korea’s true intentions behind their active push for direct visits. It was ultimately judged as part of a 'united front tactic' and rejected. It seems there were concerns about confusion and agitation caused by North Korea’s political propaganda in situations where personnel from both sides would be crossing over.

Regarding the 'scope of separated families,' the South and North also looked in different directions. The South insisted on confirming 'mutual relationships and blood relations,' but North Korea maintained that it should be decided solely based on 'the individual's appeal.' Furthermore, North Korea made somewhat political claims such as the need to "remove legal and social obstacles" when implementing agenda item 1. Because of these sharply divergent positions, the Red Cross main talks fell into a deadlock.

Then and Now... North Korea, Arbitrary Even 40 Years Ago

The North Korean representative ultimately did not attend the 26th working-level meeting on March 20, 1978.
[Photo by Ministry of Unification]

Additionally, this record includes content about the South and North clashing over major domestic and international incidents such as the 1973 Kim Dae-jung abduction case, the 1974 August 15 presidential assassination attempt (the shooting of Mrs. Yuk Young-soo), the 1974 discovery of infiltration tunnels, and the 1976 Panmunjom axe massacre by North Korean soldiers.

North Korea’s attitude at the time is not unfamiliar. They created a hostile atmosphere according to their tastes, criticized the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises during the Red Cross talks that should have focused on humanitarian issues, and unilaterally postponed talks using these exercises as an excuse, acting as arrogantly as they do now.

At the 24th working-level meeting, North Korea suddenly raised South Korea’s human rights issues, saying, "In the numerous prisons in South Korea, thousands or tens of thousands of innocent citizens, including democratic figures Kim Dae-jung and poet Kim Ji-ha, are suffering under all kinds of torture and harsh treatment behind bars." It seems they had no interest in the original goal of resuming the deadlocked main talks.

On March 20, 1978, a day before the scheduled 26th working-level meeting, North Korea harshly criticized the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises through the external media outlet 'Pyongyang Broadcasting' and notified a unilateral postponement of the working-level meeting citing this as the reason. North Korea’s behavior of using joint exercises and the deployment of U.S. strategic assets as excuses for missile provocations today was the same over 40 years ago.

Ministry of Unification: "Full-Scale Disclosure of Records... Transparency in North Korea Policy"

The 1st Inter-Korean Red Cross Main Talks held at the Daedonggang Restaurant in Pyongyang
Photo by Ministry of Unification

The government plans to institutionalize and fully implement the disclosure of such inter-Korean talks records going forward.

An official from the Ministry of Unification explained, "This disclosure of records means that the Ministry of Unification is systematizing and continuously carrying out the talks disclosure project according to ministry regulations," adding, "We will continue to promote the disclosure of inter-Korean talks documents to enhance the public’s right to know and transparency in North Korea policy."

However, as with the release in May, political content related to the July 4, 1972 South-North Joint Statement and contacts with North Korea by the then Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Lee Hu-rak, were kept confidential. Although the Ministry of Unification had said it would review and disclose this content, it was ultimately decided to remain undisclosed during the preliminary review process.

The Ministry of Unification official said, "This area requires further review and additional consultations to clearly establish the scope of disclosure, so it was excluded for now," adding, "It is difficult to specify the timing of disclosure, but once the related procedures are completed next year, it will be disclosed immediately."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.