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North, South Korea Agree to Hold Official Talks

North, South Korea Agree to Hold Official Talks
folder_openKoreas access_time10 years ago
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Local Editor

North and South Korea agreed in principle Thursday to hold their first official talks for years, signaling a possible breakthrough in cross-border ties after months of escalated military tensions.


North, South Korea Agree to Hold Official TalksA surprise offer from Pyongyang proposed talks on a range of commercial and humanitarian issues from reopening a joint industrial complex to resuming cross-border family reunions.
The South replied within hours, with the Unification Ministry saying it viewed the offer "positively" and would announce a date, venue and agenda later.
Analysts welcomed the development, but advised caution, saying the nature and agenda of the dialogue might prove to be an insurmountable sticking point.

Official contacts between Seoul and Pyongyang have been essentially frozen since South Korea accused the North of torpedoing one of its warships in March 2010 with the loss of 46 lives.
The North's proposal, carried in a statement from the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, said the venue and date for talks "can be set to the convenience of the South side."

Initial subjects for discussion would be the Kaesong joint industrial zone, which was closed at the height of the recent tensions, and the resumption of cross-border tours to the North's Mount Kumgang resort, the CPRK said.
At the same time, humanitarian issues such as reuniting family members separated after the 1950-53 Korean War "can be discussed... if necessary," the statement said.
It added that a positive response would see the North consider rolling back measures it took when relations went into a tailspin in April, including restoring a cross-border official hotline.

South Korea has already offered working-level talks to discuss the retrieval of raw materials and finished goods left behind by South Korean factory managers when they left Kaesong.
"We hope that South and North Korea can build trust through this opportunity," the South's Unification Ministry said in its response to the North's offer.

Pyongyang has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear deterrent is not up for negotiation.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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