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| North and South Korea agree to meet in Panmunjom | North and South Korea agree to meet in Panmunjom |
| (4 months later) | |
| The two Koreas have agreed to hold talks in the peace village of Panmunjom, the South has announced, after the sides had earlier bickered about the venue. | The two Koreas have agreed to hold talks in the peace village of Panmunjom, the South has announced, after the sides had earlier bickered about the venue. |
| Discussion are due to be held on Sunday about reopening the Kaesong joint industrial park, which lies within North Korean territory. The North wanted talks held at Kaesong but the South offered the alternative of Panmunjom, which straddles the heavily armed border between the two countries. | Discussion are due to be held on Sunday about reopening the Kaesong joint industrial park, which lies within North Korean territory. The North wanted talks held at Kaesong but the South offered the alternative of Panmunjom, which straddles the heavily armed border between the two countries. |
| South Korea wants to hold high-level talks in Seoul on Wednesday but North Korea said it wanted lower-level talks on Sunday first because the countries' "relations have been stalemated for years and mistrust has reached the extremity". | South Korea wants to hold high-level talks in Seoul on Wednesday but North Korea said it wanted lower-level talks on Sunday first because the countries' "relations have been stalemated for years and mistrust has reached the extremity". |
| Two officials with Seoul's unification ministry, which deals with North Korean matters, said South Korea made the Panmunjom proposal through a cross-border Red Cross communications line newly reopened by the North. The line, used for exchanging messages on humanitarian and other issues, was shut down by the North in March during a week of animosity marked by North Korean threats of war and South Korean vows of counterstrikes. | Two officials with Seoul's unification ministry, which deals with North Korean matters, said South Korea made the Panmunjom proposal through a cross-border Red Cross communications line newly reopened by the North. The line, used for exchanging messages on humanitarian and other issues, was shut down by the North in March during a week of animosity marked by North Korean threats of war and South Korean vows of counterstrikes. |
| On Saturday the South said the North Korean leadership in Pyongyang had accepted the offer to meet in Panmunjom. | On Saturday the South said the North Korean leadership in Pyongyang had accepted the offer to meet in Panmunjom. |
| Friday's developments followed agreement a day earlier that the talks will ultimately cover issues including reopening Kaesong, which had been the last symbol of inter-Korean co-operation before it closed in April. The news was welcomed by both sides. | Friday's developments followed agreement a day earlier that the talks will ultimately cover issues including reopening Kaesong, which had been the last symbol of inter-Korean co-operation before it closed in April. The news was welcomed by both sides. |
| Kwak Sok Gyong, a Pyongyang resident, said the North's announcement "reflects what people want in both north and south. I think the relations between north and south should be improved as soon as possible." North Koreans interviewed by foreign media in Pyongyang often echo statements carried by the official state media. | Kwak Sok Gyong, a Pyongyang resident, said the North's announcement "reflects what people want in both north and south. I think the relations between north and south should be improved as soon as possible." North Koreans interviewed by foreign media in Pyongyang often echo statements carried by the official state media. |
| In Seoul, Park Gyeong-hyun, a 17-year-old student, said the Koreas had many unresolved problems such as families separated by the war six decades ago. "So I view the talks as a positive thing because the relationship between the two Koreas will get better if the talks go well." | In Seoul, Park Gyeong-hyun, a 17-year-old student, said the Koreas had many unresolved problems such as families separated by the war six decades ago. "So I view the talks as a positive thing because the relationship between the two Koreas will get better if the talks go well." |
| Officials in Seoul said it was not clear what Sunday's talks would cover. Such meetings normally involve lower-level officials ironing out administrative details and reporting back to their bosses. The next step would be higher-level talks. | Officials in Seoul said it was not clear what Sunday's talks would cover. Such meetings normally involve lower-level officials ironing out administrative details and reporting back to their bosses. The next step would be higher-level talks. |
| The last government-level contact between the countries on their peninsula took place in February 2011 at Panmunjom, according to the South's unification ministry. The mood on the peninsula has been particularly tense since the spring, with the tightening of UN sanctions after the North's third nuclear test in February and joint US-South Korean drills. The North pulled out more than 50,000 workers from the joint Kaesong industrial zone and closed access to deliveries. | The last government-level contact between the countries on their peninsula took place in February 2011 at Panmunjom, according to the South's unification ministry. The mood on the peninsula has been particularly tense since the spring, with the tightening of UN sanctions after the North's third nuclear test in February and joint US-South Korean drills. The North pulled out more than 50,000 workers from the joint Kaesong industrial zone and closed access to deliveries. |
| The proposed talks on reopening the factory complex could represent a change in North Korea's approach, analysts said, or could simply be an effort to ease international demands that it end its development of nuclear weapons, a topic crucial to Washington but not part of the planned inter-Korean meetings. | The proposed talks on reopening the factory complex could represent a change in North Korea's approach, analysts said, or could simply be an effort to ease international demands that it end its development of nuclear weapons, a topic crucial to Washington but not part of the planned inter-Korean meetings. |
| Pyongyang understands that dialogue with Seoul is a precondition for any meaningful talks with the United States. The North's latest overtures are aimed at creating a mood that could lead to US-North Korea negotiations, said Yoo Ho-yeol, a North Korea expert at Korea University in South Korea. | Pyongyang understands that dialogue with Seoul is a precondition for any meaningful talks with the United States. The North's latest overtures are aimed at creating a mood that could lead to US-North Korea negotiations, said Yoo Ho-yeol, a North Korea expert at Korea University in South Korea. |
| Because Pyongyang needs talks with Washington to win aid and security guarantees, "realistically, the North doesn't have a choice" in pursuing talks with Seoul. "Its relations with the United States can't improve while its relations with South Korea remain tense," Yoo said. | Because Pyongyang needs talks with Washington to win aid and security guarantees, "realistically, the North doesn't have a choice" in pursuing talks with Seoul. "Its relations with the United States can't improve while its relations with South Korea remain tense," Yoo said. |
| Jen Psaki, US state department spokeswoman, said on Thursday that Washington supported improved inter-Korean relations but cautioned that it did not signal progress on restarting talks on North Korea's nuclear programme. For that to happen North Korea had to abide by its previous commitments to abandon its nuclear weapons, she said. | Jen Psaki, US state department spokeswoman, said on Thursday that Washington supported improved inter-Korean relations but cautioned that it did not signal progress on restarting talks on North Korea's nuclear programme. For that to happen North Korea had to abide by its previous commitments to abandon its nuclear weapons, she said. |
| If the Koreas do meet on Sunday the talks will follow a high-profile summit on Friday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama of the US in which North Korea is expected to be a key topic. Xi is also scheduled to meet South Korean President Park Geun-hye later this month. | If the Koreas do meet on Sunday the talks will follow a high-profile summit on Friday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama of the US in which North Korea is expected to be a key topic. Xi is also scheduled to meet South Korean President Park Geun-hye later this month. |
| Beijing, which is Pyongyang's only major economic and political ally, has expressed growing frustration with its neighbour, tightening inspections on cross-border trade and halting business with North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank. But Beijing, worried about its own economy and a possible influx of refugees, ultimately views stability in Pyongyang as crucial. | Beijing, which is Pyongyang's only major economic and political ally, has expressed growing frustration with its neighbour, tightening inspections on cross-border trade and halting business with North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank. But Beijing, worried about its own economy and a possible influx of refugees, ultimately views stability in Pyongyang as crucial. |
| The proposals for dialogue by the Koreas follow a meeting in late May in Beijing by Xi and the North Korean military's top political officer, who reportedly expressed a willingness to "launch dialogue with all relevant parties". | The proposals for dialogue by the Koreas follow a meeting in late May in Beijing by Xi and the North Korean military's top political officer, who reportedly expressed a willingness to "launch dialogue with all relevant parties". |
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