North and South Korea to begin military talks

North and South Korea to begin military talks

February 7, 2011 -- Updated 2347 GMT (0747 HKT)

Soldiers from South Korea, right, and North Korea guard their respective side of the DMZ, separating the two Koreas.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The working-level talks are scheduled to start Tuesday morning

• Colonel-grade officers from both sides are expected to attend

• The meeting could pave the way for higher-level military talks

(CNN) -- North and South Korea will meet at the truce village of Panmunjom on Tuesday to begin working-level military talks, South Korea's Defense Ministry said.

The talks are meant to help pave the way for higher-level military discussions.

Colonel-grade officers from both sides will lead the meeting, which is expected to start at 10 a.m., according to the ministry.

The South has previously said that it will demand that Pyongyang take responsibility for last year's military provocations and promise not to carry out any more attacks. Higher-level military talks will be held only if the North promises to refrain from further provocations.

The Seoul government also has proposed holding inter-Korean talks between high-ranking government officials to discuss denuclearization, something the North has not yet agreed to.

Last month, South Korea's Unification Ministry said it had reopened communication channels with North Korea in the border area of Panmunjom.

It was the first time in eight months the two sides had reopened the hotline, as tensions on the peninsula remain high. North Korea cut it off May 26 to protest Seoul's response to the March sinking of a South Korean naval ship.

South Korea has blamed North Korea for the attack, which killed 46 sailors. Pyongyang denies any involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan.

Tension rose again in November, when North Korea shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians. Pyongyang said the strike was in response to the South's navy firing into North Korean waters.

The original article can be found here:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/07/koreas.talks/index.html?hpt=T1.

ENDS

© Scoop Media