Koreas begin military talks to discuss easing tensions-滁州市某某实业维修网点

Koreas begin military talks to discuss easing tensions

2024-09-20 23:21:06

South Korean delegation for general-level military talks between South and North Korea on Thursday,<strong></strong> led by Major General Kim Do-gyun, crosses the military demarcation line over to the northern side of inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, as a North Korean official greets them. Yonhap

South Korean delegation for general-level military talks between South and North Korea on Thursday, led by Major General Kim Do-gyun, crosses the military demarcation line over to the northern side of inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, as a North Korean official greets them. Yonhap

South and North Korea began their first high-level military talks in more than 10 years Thursday to discuss ways to ease cross-border tensions.

The meeting kicked off on the northern side of the truce village of Panmunjeom at 10 a.m., according to Seoul's defense ministry. These were the first such talks since the two sides met in December 2007.

South Korea's five-member delegation is led by Major General Kim Do-gyun. The North's delegation is led by Lieutenant General An Ik-san, who is accompanied by four other officials.

"(We) plan to discuss such issues as easing military tensions between the two Koreas and arranging a defense ministerial meeting as part of efforts to implement what was agreed upon in the military sector under the Panmunjeom Declaration," Kim told reporters before leaving for the talks.

The Panmunjeom Declaration refers to the April 27 inter-Korean summit agreement, which included the two sides' commitment to joint efforts to ease military tensions and "practically eliminate the danger of war."

South Korean delegation on the left side and North Korean counterparts during the general-level military talks at the northern side of Panmunjeom, Thursday. Yonhap

The general-grade talks are expected to focus on discussing the restoration of a cross-border military communication line, holding military talks on a regular basis and establishing a hotline between their military leaders.

The two sides could also discuss the recovery of the remains of fallen soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone that bisects the two Koreas. South Korean President Moon Jae-in recently promised to push for this amid improving ties with North Korea.

During Tuesday's summit in Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to cooperate on recovering the remains of American soldiers killed or who went missing during the Korean War.

Experts say that the North could possibly bring up the issue of halting joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S., as Trump said he would halt "expensive and provocative" joint war games with South Korea after his summit.

The military talks, initially slated for May, were postponed when Pyongyang abruptly canceled bilateral high-level talks in protest at the annual South Korea-U.S. air force drills. In a meeting of high-level officials earlier this month, the two Koreas agreed to hold the talks this week. (Yonhap)

（作者：汽车配件）

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