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N Korea lets S Korean aid cross border, agrees to military talks
Seoul, May 07: North Korea accepted truckloads of South Korean aid through their border today, and agreed to hold rare high-level military talks with the south aimed at easing tensions on the world`s most heavily armed frontier.
Seoul, May 07: North Korea accepted truckloads of South Korean aid through their border today, and agreed to hold rare high-level military talks with the south aimed at easing tensions on the world's most heavily armed frontier.
The two Korean militaries, former battlefield foes still facing off across the demilitarized zone, seldom hold talks, although their governments have expanded economic and political exchanges in recent years.
Earlier today, the two Koreas had ended three days of cabinet-level meetings in the North's capital, Pyongyang, without agreements on increasing economic exchanges or reducing military tensions along their border. But in a reversal after the meeting's closure, the North's people's army agreed to hold talks "soon" with South Korean military.
South Korean unification minister Jeong Se-Hyun expected the meeting to take place in May. The countries made a similar agreement during their last cabinet-level talks in February, but no date was set and the north later refused to meet.
North Korea, repeating a decades-old position, earlier insisted it would open military talks only if South Korea halts routine military exercises with the united states, which it calls preparations to invade the isolated country. South Korea rejected the North Korean demand.
Later today, North Korea threatened to take "a strong self-defensive measure" to counter planned deployments of upgraded American patriot missiles in South Korea and a US destroyer equipped with an aegis radar system off Japan.
In a rare breaching of the DMZ, North Korea today opened the border to accept South Korean aid for the victims of a deadly train explosion.
Bureau Report
Earlier today, the two Koreas had ended three days of cabinet-level meetings in the North's capital, Pyongyang, without agreements on increasing economic exchanges or reducing military tensions along their border. But in a reversal after the meeting's closure, the North's people's army agreed to hold talks "soon" with South Korean military.
South Korean unification minister Jeong Se-Hyun expected the meeting to take place in May. The countries made a similar agreement during their last cabinet-level talks in February, but no date was set and the north later refused to meet.
North Korea, repeating a decades-old position, earlier insisted it would open military talks only if South Korea halts routine military exercises with the united states, which it calls preparations to invade the isolated country. South Korea rejected the North Korean demand.
Later today, North Korea threatened to take "a strong self-defensive measure" to counter planned deployments of upgraded American patriot missiles in South Korea and a US destroyer equipped with an aegis radar system off Japan.
In a rare breaching of the DMZ, North Korea today opened the border to accept South Korean aid for the victims of a deadly train explosion.
Bureau Report