The two Koreas reached an agreement on Nov. 26 to hold bilateral talks on Dec. 11. South Korean chief delegate Kim Ki-woong (right) and his North Korean counterpart Hwang Chol (left) shake hands at the beginning of their meeting in the truce village of Panmunjeom.
South and North Korea have agreed to hold bilateral talks next month at the industrial complex in the North Korean city of Gaeseong (Kaesong). Delegate from both Koreas sat down on Nov. 26 at the Tongilgak Pavilion on the North Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjeom to discuss holding the high-level talks. They reached an agreement to hold vice minister talks on Dec. 11 where the two sides will discuss general and specific issues that the two sides face.
The talks are part of steps following the announcements made by South and North Korea in August this year. In the summer announcement, the two sides agreed to hold talks as soon as possible in order to improve the relationship between them.
Discussions began at 12:50 p.m. on Nov. 26 and continued for about 90 minutes. During the break after the first 90 minutes, the South’s Ministry of Unification announced to media that the two had displayed different opinions on certain elements, such as the attendees and the specific topics of the talks, as well as the time and location for the talks. The meeting resumed after the break and continued until late in the night. The two finally reached an agreement after a total 11 hours of discussion.
By Chang Iou-chung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Unification
icchang@korea.kr
The two Koreas agree to an outline for bilateral talks, including the topics and the venue.
