S. Korea mulls talks with DPRK
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South Korea is considering proposing a preparatory meeting with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for talks over ending its nuclear program, the unification ministry said Monday.
South Korea has accepted the DPRK's proposal last week to hold high-ranking inter-Korean military talks to discuss pending military issues, including its alleged torpedo attack and shelling of a South Korean border island, and is mulling separate talks between high-ranking government officials from the two sides to discuss denuclearization.
The defense ministry also said it plans to propose a date for a working-level meeting this week to prepare for the high-ranking military talks Pyongyang proposed.
"Ministries concerned are currently discussing details of the proposals," ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-ju told reporters in a press briefing, without further divulging.
The talks, if held, will mark the first major contact between the two estranged neighbors after they suspended nearly all exchanges following a series of military provocations by Pyongyang.
They would also follow the recent summit between the Chinese and U.S. leaders, who called for improved inter-Korean ties and Pyongyang's commitment to its pledges of denuclearization.
