Defence ministers from North and South Korea have agreed to work towards building links and easing military tension on the divided peninsula.
The talks between South Korea's Defence Minister Cho Seong-tae and the North's Kim Il-chol, were the first between defence chiefs of the two Korea's in half a century.
Their two-day meeting on the South Korean island of Cheju followed a summit in Pyongyang in June between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the North's leader, Kim Jong-il. The two defence ministers agreed to promote relations in the spirit of the June landmark summit, officials said. "The two sides shared the view in principle they will try to militarily ensure the actual implementation of the historic June declaration," Seoul's defence ministry spokesman, Yoon Il-young, told reporters after the talks. "Besides the military cooperation in relinking a railway and road across the border, the two sides agreed to continue to discuss other confidence-building measures," he said.
The spokesman said any agreements would be announced in a joint communique at the end of the talks on Tuesday. Despite the rapidly warming ties between the two old enemies, little progress has so far been made in reducing military tension between them. The talks come as North Korea faces another tough winter with more severe food shortages looming.
South Korea's President Kim said on Sunday North Korea, hard hit by recent droughts and typhoons, could face even worse food shortages next year and urged Japan to send more food aid.
Bureau Report