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| Hwang Pyong-so, second from left, vice chairman of North Korea's National Defense Commission, and Choe Ryong-hae, a secretary of the ruling Workers' Party, arrive at Incheon International Airport, Saturday. AP-Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
Three high-ranking members of North Korea's leadership met with South Korean officials in Seoul, Saturday, during a surprise visit that raised hopes for thawed relations.
The North Korean officials -- Hwang Pyong-so, Choe Ryong-hae and Kim Yang-gon -- ostensibly made the one-day trip to attend the closing ceremonies of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
However, the sudden visit provided an opportunity for the South Korean government to meet with close confidantes of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The sides agreed to hold more talks as early as later this month.
In a rare show of engagement, the three officials met with South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae shortly after arriving in Incheon. Later the North Koreans met with Ryoo and Seoul's national security adviser, Kim Kwan-jin, as well as other officials, over lunch.
The Pyongyang delegates also met Prime Minister Chung Hong-won before the Asiad's closing ceremony. Chung praised the performances of the communist country's athletes at the Asian Games.
In response, the delegates complimented the South for "successfully hosting the event."
Other details of the talks were not immediately disclosed. However, the sides agreed to hold another round of high-level talks later this month or in early November to discuss issues such as reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
The North Korean officials returned to Pyongyang late Saturday.
Seoul officials said the South invited the delegates to meet with President Park Geun-hye at Cheong Wa Dae. The meeting, however, did not materialize due to time constraints.
The meetings were the highest-level talks held between the sides under the President Park Geun-hye administration. The amiable atmosphere stood in stark contrast from tensions seen in recent months, during which the North conducted a spate of missile and rocket tests.
Pyongyang's sports authorities issued a request for the visit Friday, government officials said.
The visit is being carefully watched because Hwang, director the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, is considered North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's number two.
The talks followed a September shuffle of top North Korean officials that saw Hwang replace Choe as Pyongyang's military's top political officer, in September. Kim Yang-gon and Choe are secretaries in the North's ruling Worker's Party.
The visit came amid speculation over the North's leader Kim, who was last seen in public on Sept. 3. North Korean state television footage of Kim limping during a July event triggered speculation that he was suffering from physical ailments including a possible case of gout.
The North sent a delegation of some 150 athletes to compete in the games. But Pyongyang decided against sending a delegation of cheerleaders after the sides wrangled over which country would foot the bill for the squad's trips.
They fared well with a total of 36 medals -- 11 golds, 11 silvers and 14 bronzes.
High-level visits by North Korean officials have been rare since 2008, when former President Lee Myung-bak implemented a hardline approach that sought to curb Pyongyang's nuclear program. Tensions have remained high since President Park Geun-hye took power.
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