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| South and North Korea Hold Talks to Defuse Border Tensions | South and North Korea Hold Talks to Defuse Border Tensions |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| SEOUL, South Korea — South and North Korea held a high-level meeting on their border on Saturday, South Korean officials said, apparently easing, at least temporarily, a tense standoff that has prevailed since the countries exchanged artillery fire two days ago. | SEOUL, South Korea — South and North Korea held a high-level meeting on their border on Saturday, South Korean officials said, apparently easing, at least temporarily, a tense standoff that has prevailed since the countries exchanged artillery fire two days ago. |
| The meeting took place at the border village of Panmunjom, said Kim Kyou-hyun, a senior aide to President Park Geun-hye of South Korea. Mr. Kim said it included top policy makers from both sides: Kim Kwan-jin, Ms. Park’s senior national security adviser, and Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so, North Korea’s most powerful military officer after Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader, who holds the rank of marshal. | The meeting took place at the border village of Panmunjom, said Kim Kyou-hyun, a senior aide to President Park Geun-hye of South Korea. Mr. Kim said it included top policy makers from both sides: Kim Kwan-jin, Ms. Park’s senior national security adviser, and Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so, North Korea’s most powerful military officer after Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader, who holds the rank of marshal. |
| North Korea confirmed in a brief statement that the two sides had agreed to meet. Its state-run news media, reporting on the talks, did something it had not done for several years, raising hopes for the border meeting: It referred to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea, instead of using the North’s standard derogatory reference to “South Korean puppets.” | North Korea confirmed in a brief statement that the two sides had agreed to meet. Its state-run news media, reporting on the talks, did something it had not done for several years, raising hopes for the border meeting: It referred to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea, instead of using the North’s standard derogatory reference to “South Korean puppets.” |
| The announcement came just hours before a 5 p.m. deadline that North Korea had given South Korea to stop broadcasting propaganda messages from loudspeakers placed along the heavily militarized border, and the talks began shortly after the deadline. The North had threatened “strong military action” unless the broadcasts stopped. | The announcement came just hours before a 5 p.m. deadline that North Korea had given South Korea to stop broadcasting propaganda messages from loudspeakers placed along the heavily militarized border, and the talks began shortly after the deadline. The North had threatened “strong military action” unless the broadcasts stopped. |
| South Korean officials said that Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo of South Korea and Kim Yang-gon, a senior North Korean Workers’ Party secretary in charge of relations with the South, had also taken part in the meeting. | |
| On Thursday, the two Koreas exchanged fire across their border. No casualties were reported, but it was their most serious clash in five years. | On Thursday, the two Koreas exchanged fire across their border. No casualties were reported, but it was their most serious clash in five years. |
| South Korean officials said they believed that the North had begun firing as a warning to stop the loudspeaker broadcasts. The South had resumed the broadcasts, a propaganda tactic dating from the Cold War, this month after 11 years, in response to the maiming of two South Korean border guards by land mines that the South accused the North of planting. | South Korean officials said they believed that the North had begun firing as a warning to stop the loudspeaker broadcasts. The South had resumed the broadcasts, a propaganda tactic dating from the Cold War, this month after 11 years, in response to the maiming of two South Korean border guards by land mines that the South accused the North of planting. |
| Kim Kyou-hyun, the South Korean presidential aide, said that discussions about meeting at Panmunjom had begun Friday, when Kim Yang-gon, the North Korean official, suggested it in a message to the South. | Kim Kyou-hyun, the South Korean presidential aide, said that discussions about meeting at Panmunjom had begun Friday, when Kim Yang-gon, the North Korean official, suggested it in a message to the South. |
| It was the first high-level dialogue between the Koreas since February 2014, apart from an informal meeting in October after Vice Marshal Hwang and other North Korean officials made a surprise decision to attend the Asian Games in the South. | It was the first high-level dialogue between the Koreas since February 2014, apart from an informal meeting in October after Vice Marshal Hwang and other North Korean officials made a surprise decision to attend the Asian Games in the South. |
| In Washington, a White House official said President Obama had been briefed on the meeting. | In Washington, a White House official said President Obama had been briefed on the meeting. |
| The talks were expected to focus on the issue of the loudspeakers. The South has said it will not stop the propaganda broadcasts unless the North apologizes for planting the land mines that wounded the South Korean soldiers and punishes those responsible. North Korea has denied planting the mines; it has also denied starting the exchange of fire on Thursday, accusing the South of fabricating both episodes to divert attention from scandals that have plagued Ms. Park’s government. | The talks were expected to focus on the issue of the loudspeakers. The South has said it will not stop the propaganda broadcasts unless the North apologizes for planting the land mines that wounded the South Korean soldiers and punishes those responsible. North Korea has denied planting the mines; it has also denied starting the exchange of fire on Thursday, accusing the South of fabricating both episodes to divert attention from scandals that have plagued Ms. Park’s government. |