By Kim Young-jin
Seoul on Thursday proposed holding an expert-level forum with North Korea next month on potential volcanic activity on Mt. Baekdu in the North.
The proposal, made by a South Korean geologist involved in the talks, suggested the two sides meet May 11-13 in either Pyongyang or Seoul, the Ministry of Unification said in a statement.
The move earlier this month came after the two sides agreed to conduct a joint inspection of the site in June, after holding a forum of civilian experts in May.
The talks will be the first dialogue between the sides since February, when military talks fell apart over Pyongyang’s refusal to apologize for two deadly provocations last year.
Pyongyang had earlier accused Seoul of blocking progress on the issue of the volcano by insisting the North’s geologists provide background research material.
Experts believe that an eruption would have serious implications for air traffic and agriculture in the region. It last erupted in 1903.
Standing at 2,740 meters, Mt. Baekdu is the tallest mountain on the Korean Peninsula and considered a sacred ancestral symbol by both sides.
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