Talks did not happen at the U.N. playing field, when South Korean U.N. Chief Ban Ki Moon’s visit to the North failed, but may take place as the South accepts the North’s offer of talks.
South Korea has accepted an offer from Pyongyang for talks at the Demilitarized Zone border village of Panmunjeom, according to the South Korea Unification Ministry. The two Koreas are scheduled to meet on Thursday, November 26.
On top of the agenda of this meeting between the two Koreas top officials is a preparatory meeting for high level talks on relaxing tensions between them. South Korea’s Unification Ministry declared that a date of this high level talk is yet to be set in this preparatory meeting.
This planned meeting on Thursday is being pushed by Pyongyang of which the South accepted. The main agenda of the talks would focus on the future high level talks that would be taking place either in Seoul or Pyongyang, basically aimed at improving ties.
These two country-rival brothers had almost come to war last summer, after two South Korean soldiers were injured in a mine explosion in the neutral area of the DMZ. Seoul blamed the North as the author of the blast, but Pyongyang denied its connection.
From this incident, hostilities started but the military standoff was alleviated after a series of marathon talks last August, while the two Koreas came up with war-avoidance strategies and deals to resume talks among top officials. Part of the agreement of the August meeting is the reunion of separated families after the 1950-1953 Korean War, which concluded “in an armistice” but not a peace treaty.
While, the visit of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is a South Korean to Pyongyang to discuss nuclear weapons program did not push thru, but North Korea opened up an opportunity for talks at the common level and neutral ground to happen, Thursday.
