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S.Korea, DPRK begin vice ministerial-level meeting

Xinhua, December 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday began a vice ministerial-level meeting in the DPRK's border city of Kaesong.

The meeting began at 10:40 a.m. (0140 GMT) to discuss various pending issues between Seoul and Pyongyang, according to South Korea's unification ministry.

Seoul's three-member delegation was led by Vice Unification Minister Hwang Boo-gi, and his DPRK counterpart was Jon Jong-su, vice director of the secretariat of the DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea.

"There are many issues between the South and the North to be discussed and addressed. I'll make best efforts to resolve them one by one in a calm and orderly way," said Hwang before heading for the dialogue venue.

It marked the first inter-governmental dialogue between the two Koreas since South Korean President Park Geun-hye took office in early 2013 to discuss a comprehensive range of inter-Korean issues.

Senior-level inter-Korean talks were held in February last year and in August this year, but those were held to talk about urgent issues, including the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War and an issue on landmines explosion and a rare exchange of artillery fire in August.

Top-level military officials of the two Koreas reached an agreement on Aug. 25 to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula following a surge in tensions that had pushed the peninsula to the brink of armed conflicts.

Under the agreement, the two sides agreed to hold an inter-governmental dialogue in Seoul or Pyongyang at an earliest possible date.

South Korea has allegedly called for the DPRK to agree upon regular reunions of the separated Korean families through the inter-governmental talks.

Pyongyang has wanted the resumption of tour to the DPRK's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang. The tour, launched in 1998, was suspended in July 2008 when a South Korean female tourist was shot dead by a DPRK solider after allegedly venturing into an off-limit area. Enditem