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South and North Korea agree deal to reduce tensions South and North Korea agree deal to reduce tensions
(about 11 hours later)
South Korea has agreed to halt cross-border propaganda broadcasts as part of a deal with North Korea to defuse tension after recent confrontations. South Korea has halted its propaganda broadcasts into North Korea as part of a deal to defuse tension.
Seoul started the broadcasts after a landmine injured two of its soldiers on the border earlier this month. Seoul had begun the loudspeaker broadcasts, which infuriate Pyongyang, after a landmine at the border injured two of its soldiers earlier this month.
The South's lead negotiator said the move came after the North agreed to express "regret" over the incident. The tensions bubbled over in a brief exchange of fire at the heavily guarded border last Thursday.
The agreement came after marathon talks that began after an exchange of fire at the border last Thursday. The deal was reached after the North, which initially denied planting the mine, agreed to express "regret".
The negotiations in the abandoned "truce village" of Panmunjom inside the demilitarised zone were said to have ended at 00:55 local time on Tuesday (15:55 GMT Monday). South Korea's President Park Geun-hye said the deal "could serve as an occasion to resolve all inter-Korean issues through trust".
A joint statement said South Korea would stop the loudspeaker broadcasts at midday on Tuesday and the North would end its "semi-state of war". 'No leaders' summit'
Both countries have also agreed to work towards a resumption of reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. The late-night agreement came after marathon talks at the "truce village" of Panmunjom inside the demilitarised zone (DMZ).
National security adviser Kim Kwan-jin, who led the negotiations for the South, said there would be follow-up talks to discuss a range of issues on improving ties A joint statement from the two countries - technically at war since the 1950s - said South Korea would stop the loudspeaker broadcasts at midday on Tuesday (03:00 GMT) - as North Korea had demanded.
But he said it was not the right time to push for a summit between the leaders of the two countries. The North agreed to end its "semi-state of war", pulling back troops deployed to the frontline.
Both countries have also agreed to work towards a resumption of reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, a recurring point of contention.
But South Korea's Defence Minister Kim Min-seok said the South would "maintain its defence posture for the possibility of another provocation".
National security adviser and chief negotiator Kim Kwan-jin said there would be follow-up talks to discuss a range of issues on improving ties
But he said it was not the right time to push for a leaders' summit.
Analysis: Stephen Evans, BBC News, SeoulAnalysis: Stephen Evans, BBC News, Seoul
The outcome is what seasoned Korea watchers expected, though the tension has been cranked up much higher than in recent years.The outcome is what seasoned Korea watchers expected, though the tension has been cranked up much higher than in recent years.
It's not clear how much these regular crises are manufactured and how much they are the result of misunderstandings in a highly-armed, permanent stand-off.It's not clear how much these regular crises are manufactured and how much they are the result of misunderstandings in a highly-armed, permanent stand-off.
Some critics of Pyongyang say it generates crises to remind South Korea and the US that it is there and should be treated as important - and also to keep its own citizenry on high alert.Some critics of Pyongyang say it generates crises to remind South Korea and the US that it is there and should be treated as important - and also to keep its own citizenry on high alert.
Others say the government in Seoul could do more to improve relations with the North, pointing at what they say are provocative military exercises with the US.Others say the government in Seoul could do more to improve relations with the North, pointing at what they say are provocative military exercises with the US.
But supporters of the South Korean government say: "Why go soft on a regime that is developing nuclear weapons to target at Seoul?"But supporters of the South Korean government say: "Why go soft on a regime that is developing nuclear weapons to target at Seoul?"
The South resumed the propaganda broadcasts after an 11-year hiatus earlier this month in apparent retaliation for the landmine incident on 4 August - although the North denied having planted the mines. Both Koreas used to routinely blast propaganda across their shared border, but agreed in 2004 to abandon the tactic.
It also denied shelling South Korea last week - an incident that prompted artillery fire from the South. The South resumed the broadcasts - a mix of news, weather reports and Korean pop music - earlier this month, apparently in retaliation for the landmine incident on 4 August, in which two of its soldiers were seriously injured.
Pyongyang ordered its troops to be "on a war footing" on Friday while Seoul warned that it would "retaliate harshly" to any acts of aggression. About 4,000 residents were also evacuated from border areas in South Korea. The North had denied planting the mines, and also denied shelling South Korea last week - an incident that prompted artillery fire from the South.
The two Koreas remain technically at war, because the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. Pyongyang had ordered its troops to be "on a war footing" on Friday while Seoul warned that it would "retaliate harshly" to any acts of aggression. About 4,000 residents were also evacuated from border areas in South Korea.
Loudspeakers and psychological warfare
In 2004, South Korea and North Korea reached an agreement to dismantle their propaganda loudspeakers at the border.
The broadcasts were part of a programme of psychological warfare, according to South Korean newspaper Korea Times, to deliver outside news so that North Korean soldiers and border-area residents could hear it.
Mobilising the propagandists in North Korea