High-level talks today


Kim Kyou-hyun	Won Dong-yon

Seoul accepts Pyongyang's surprise proposal

By Jun Ji-hye

The two Koreas will hold high-level talks at the border village of Panmunjom at 10 a.m. today, officials from the unification ministry said Tuesday.

Kim Kyou-hyun, head of the secretariat of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Council, will meet with Won Dong-yon, the deputy head of the United Front Department of the ruling Workers' Party, a body that deals with ties between the two countries.

These are the first talks at such a level to be held in seven years since ones under the late President Roh Moo-hyun government in May, 2007.

The talks will come hours before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visits Seoul for discussions on a wide range of issues including the situation in the North.

"The talks were decided three days after Pyongyang made a proposal to discuss comprehensive inter-Korean affairs," said a ministry official. He said no specific agenda has been set.

The talks followed an earlier agreement on the reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War to be held from Feb. 20 to 25.

However, some critics took a cautious attitude, saying ties could be further aggravated if the two sides only confirm their differences.

They are expected to discuss ways to ensure that the reunion event takes place as agreed.

"Also, they are expected to discuss ways to hold such events on a regular basis," said the official.

The cross-border relations worsened after the reclusive state carried out a third nuclear test last year and kept threatening to launch nuclear attacks against Seoul and Washington.

The North also unilaterally called off scheduled family reunions in September at the last minute.

However, it recently offered a series of conciliatory gestures toward the South, evidenced by the New Year's message from its young leader Kim Jong-un that pledged to make efforts to seek better relations.

In early January, President Park Geun-hye also delivered a message that she will work on improving inter-Korean relations step by step, asking the North to agree on resuming talks for family reunions.

When announcing its plans for 2014, the ministry said it will push for operating President Park's "Trust-building Process," which calls for a dual approach on the North by deterring North Korea's military provocations but at the same time seeking cooperation when the communist country changes track, including nuclear disarmament.

The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party welcomed the talks, saying they hope the decision to hold them will be an opportunity to resolve various matters facing the two Koreas.

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