Koreas Agree Second Round of Conflict Crisis Talks

Local Editor

North and South Korea agreed to a second round of talks Sunday after marathon, night-long negotiations fell short of resolving a crisis that had pushed them to the brink of armed conflict.

The two sides called a recess in the early hours of the morning after nearly 10 hours of discussions and agreed to meet again at 3:00 pm [0600 GMT] to "narrow down differences", said South Korea's presidential spokesman Min Kyung-Wook.

The talks in the border truce village of Panmunjom began Saturday evening, shortly after a North Korean deadline expired for Seoul to halt loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts across the border or face military action.

Despite skepticism that Pyongyang would follow through on its threat, the ultimatum raised border tensions to their highest level for years, with the North re-positioning artillery units and South Korean and US fighter jets flying simulated bombing runs.

Furthermore, thousands of South Korean civilians living on frontline border islands or near military propaganda units were evacuated from their homes to underground shelters as a preventive measure.

The negotiations in Panmunjom, where the 1950-53 Korean War ceasefire was signed, were led by South Korean national security adviser Kim Kwan-Jin and his North Korean counterpart Hwang Pyong-So -- a close confidante of leader Kim Jong-Un.

They were the highest-level inter-Korean talks for nearly a year -- a reflection of the seriousness of the situation.

"The two sides had wide discussions on ways to settle the recently-developed situation and to improve inter-Korean relations down the road," Min said.

Analysts had predicted it would be difficult to find a compromise where neither side lost face, especially given the specific nature of the demands on both sides.

Technically, the two Koreas had been at war for the past 65 years, as the Korean War ended with a ceasefire that was never ratified by a formal peace treaty.

Hence, calls for calm and restraint have also come from China, the North's main diplomatic protector and economic supporter.

China is keen to avoid any regional flare-up as it seeks to attract world leaders to Beijing next month for a three-day celebration of Japan's defeat in World War II.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team