North Korea yesterday agreed to hold high-level talks with Seoul next week to discuss logistics for a rare inter-Korean summit, the South’s Ministry of Unification said, as a diplomatic thaw on the Peninsula gathers pace.
The two sides are to each send a three-member delegation to the border truce village of Panmunjom on Thursday for talks aimed at paving the way for a summit due last next month, it said.
South Korea on Wednesday had proposed holding high-level talks with the North to discuss details such as the summit’s dates and agenda.
The talks are to take place at the Unification Pavilion building on the northern side of Panmunjom, with Seoul’s delegation led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country Chairman Ri Son-gwon heading Pyongyang’s.
The decision by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to meet came amid a rapid rapprochement started with the Winter Olympics.
The US and South Korea on Tuesday announced that their annual joint military drills would go ahead next month, but the main exercise would be shortened by a month.
The inter-Korean summit is due to be followed by a face-to-face meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kim by the end of May.
Following a period of heightened tensions stoked by the North’s nuclear and missile tests last year, a rapid rapprochement has been underway on the Korean Peninsula.
The North on Wednesday broke its silence on the diplomatic thaw with Washington and Seoul, with the Korean Central News Agency reporting that Pyongyang was driving the peace initiative and rejecting suggestions that sanctions forced it to dialogue table.
As diplomats scurry to arrange the talks, the North’s silence has raised concerns over its intentions.
North Korean state media have not yet directly mentioned the summits.
Analysts say the North is carefully watching to see how events — including the US-South Korea military drills — play out before making them public to its people.
State media in the North have not reported any public activities by Kim since March 6, when they said he held talks with South Korean envoys and made a “satisfactory agreement” on the proposed inter-Korean summit.
Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, on Friday criticized the US for continued sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang, despite diplomatic progress.
“The good atmosphere appearing on the Korean Peninsula has been created by our aggressive efforts and initiatives. It has not been brought about by sanctions by the US and its sycophants,” the paper said.
“The United States has miscalculated. The stronger the US pressure, the stronger the DPRK [North Korea],” it added. “If the US fails to draw a lesson and continues acting recklessly, it would surely be in for a greater humiliation and defeat.”
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