North and South Korea held military talks on Tuesday (July 31) amid rising tensions after the United States detected renewed activity at a North Korean missile factory.
The meeting, their second since June, held in the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), was designed to follow on from an inter-Korean summit in April at which leaders of the two Koreas agreed to defuse tensions and halt "all hostile acts."
South Korea's defence ministry said last week it plans to reduce guard posts and equipment along the heavily fortified border as an initial step to implement the agreement.
Meanwhile, U.S. spy satellites detected renewed activity at the North Korean factory that produced the country's first intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States, a senior U.S. official said on Monday (July 30), in the midst of talks to compel Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arms. (Reuters)