Two Koreas Agree to Hold Talks Aug. 2-4

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Two Koreas Agree to Hold Talks Aug. 2-4

Roller-coaster inter-Korean relations have been put back on track as South Korea and DPRK agreed to hold talks to prepare for long-stalled ministerial meetings early next month.

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Roller-coaster inter-Korean relations have been put back on track as South Korea and DPRK agreed to hold talks to prepare for long-stalled ministerial meetings early next month.

In compliance with the DPRK's suggestion on Thursday, the S. Korean Unification Ministry proposed that working-level talks be held Aug. 2-4 at Mt. Kumgang, a DPRK mountain resort on the east coast of the peninsula.

The message from Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun was relayed in the morning to his DPRK counterpart Kim Ryong-song through a hotline at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas.

Five hours later, DPRK responded to the proposal, saying that it would send two senior officials and three entourages to the meeting. The South Korean delegation is likely to be led by two senior unification officials, including Rhee Bong-jo, deputy minister for policy, according to sources.

The agreement, which came five days after DPRK offered to resume inter-Korean dialogue, paved the way for the revival of the peace process, frozen since the naval clash, which left heavy casualties on both sides.

DPRK on Thursday voiced regret over the ``accidentalnullnull event near a disputed maritime border by proposing talks to resuscitate stalled reconciliation measures.

The preparatory talks will focus on the date of ministerial-level talks during which South Korean officials are expected to urge their DPRK counterparts to speed up work on the construction of a rail link between Seoul and Shinuiju, among other things, officials said.

During the ministerial meeting, the construction of rail and road links on the east coast, the building of an industrial complex in Kaesong and confidence building measures (CBMs) will again be high on the agenda, a senior ministry official said.

Source: Agencies

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