North and South Korea agree to ministerial talks
Historic meeting at truce village a step in right direction ahead of ministerial summit, but caution reigns after years of bitter experience
North and South Korea agreed to hold minister-level talks in Seoul later this week, Yonhap News Agency said, as the two sides seek limited reconciliation following heightened rhetoric over the North's nuclear programme earlier this year.
The two governments are working on a draft agreement for the meeting, which may last more than a day, Yonhap reported, citing an unidentified South Korean government official.
The delegates were still talking more than 12 hours after the meeting began at the border "truce village" of Panmunjom.
But South Korean officials seemed confident they would reach an agreement for the ministerial talks. It was unclear when the meeting would end or if a new round would also be held today.
The intense media interest in what was essentially a meeting of bureaucrats to iron out technical details is an indication of how bad ties between the Koreas have been.
Before leaving for the border, Chun Hae-sung, the chief South Korean delegate, said the North and South could move towards greater economic co-operation and political reconciliation when they "start building trust on small things first". The North Korean delegation was led by Kim Song-hye, a senior official at the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea.
A spokesman for the South's Unification Ministry said the two sides discussed technical issues for the ministerial meeting.