By Yi Whan-woo
South and North Korea agreed to hold a preparatory meeting on Nov. 26 for high-level talks in line with their agreement on Aug. 25, the Ministry of Unification said Friday.
It said Seoul accepted Pyongyang's offer to set up the meeting among working-level officials at Tongilgak, a conference building on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone.
"We accepted Pyongyang's offer made through Panmunjeom," a ministry official said, declining to be named. "It's a relief that Pyongyang has accepted Seoul's offer for dialogue at last. We'll comprehensively discuss what is needed to prepare for high-level talks, such as time, venue, agenda items and possible candidates for the talks."
In a statement carried by state-controlled media, Pyongyang's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF) also confirmed that it made the proposal for the preparatory meeting. The committee deals with inter-Korean affairs.
According to the unification ministry, the South Korean delegation will be led by Kim Ki-woong, an official who spearheaded working-level dialogue with the North in June 2013.
Kim's North Korean counterpart is expected to come from the CPRF.
The latest agreement has fueled speculation on whether the two Koreas will make a breakthrough to further develop ties following their August agreement.
Aimed at defusing military tension across the border, the two sides promised to accelerate dialogue on both the government and civic levels, including high-level talks.
Accordingly, the two Koreas held reunions among separated families in October. They have also facilitated civic exchange in various sectors among religious leaders, labor unions, linguists, historians and athletes.
Pyongyang, however, kept mum on Seoul's proposals made on Sept. 21, Sept. 24 and Oct. 30, respectively, to prepare for high-level talks.
The Kim Jong-un regime instead questioned the Park Geun-hye administration's North Korean policies, saying "Seoul should engage in inter-Korean dialogue in a sincere manner."
"Pyongyang wants to show the world that it leads in inter-Korean relations amid growing international pressure against its human rights record," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
Yoo Ho-yeol, a North Korean studies professor at Korea University, voiced a similar view.
"North Korea wants improve its ties with the United States in the long term. I'd say its proposal for the preparatory meeting is seen as a move to improve its ties with the South and then draw Washington's attention," he said.
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University, said, "Pyongyang is seeking to make a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations this year as a way to consolidate Kim Jong-un's leadership."
It remains to be seen whether the impoverished regime will demand Seoul to include the suspended Mount Geumgang tour program on the agenda.
The tours to the scenic mountain in North Korea had been a cash cow for Pyongyang, but they were suspended in 2008 when a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier for entering an off-limits zone.
Observers also say Pyongyang could ask Seoul to discuss lifting a set of economic sanctions Seoul imposed on May 24, 2010 in retaliation for the North's sinking of the naval frigate Cheonan in March of the same year.
South and North Korea agreed to hold a preparatory meeting on Nov. 26 for high-level talks in line with their agreement on Aug. 25, the Ministry of Unification said Friday.
It said Seoul accepted Pyongyang's offer to set up the meeting among working-level officials at Tongilgak, a conference building on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone.
"We accepted Pyongyang's offer made through Panmunjeom," a ministry official said, declining to be named. "It's a relief that Pyongyang has accepted Seoul's offer for dialogue at last. We'll comprehensively discuss what is needed to prepare for high-level talks, such as time, venue, agenda items and possible candidates for the talks."
In a statement carried by state-controlled media, Pyongyang's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF) also confirmed that it made the proposal for the preparatory meeting. The committee deals with inter-Korean affairs.
According to the unification ministry, the South Korean delegation will be led by Kim Ki-woong, an official who spearheaded working-level dialogue with the North in June 2013.
Kim's North Korean counterpart is expected to come from the CPRF.
The latest agreement has fueled speculation on whether the two Koreas will make a breakthrough to further develop ties following their August agreement.
Aimed at defusing military tension across the border, the two sides promised to accelerate dialogue on both the government and civic levels, including high-level talks.
Accordingly, the two Koreas held reunions among separated families in October. They have also facilitated civic exchange in various sectors among religious leaders, labor unions, linguists, historians and athletes.
Pyongyang, however, kept mum on Seoul's proposals made on Sept. 21, Sept. 24 and Oct. 30, respectively, to prepare for high-level talks.
The Kim Jong-un regime instead questioned the Park Geun-hye administration's North Korean policies, saying "Seoul should engage in inter-Korean dialogue in a sincere manner."
"Pyongyang wants to show the world that it leads in inter-Korean relations amid growing international pressure against its human rights record," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
Yoo Ho-yeol, a North Korean studies professor at Korea University, voiced a similar view.
"North Korea wants improve its ties with the United States in the long term. I'd say its proposal for the preparatory meeting is seen as a move to improve its ties with the South and then draw Washington's attention," he said.
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University, said, "Pyongyang is seeking to make a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations this year as a way to consolidate Kim Jong-un's leadership."
It remains to be seen whether the impoverished regime will demand Seoul to include the suspended Mount Geumgang tour program on the agenda.
The tours to the scenic mountain in North Korea had been a cash cow for Pyongyang, but they were suspended in 2008 when a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier for entering an off-limits zone.
Observers also say Pyongyang could ask Seoul to discuss lifting a set of economic sanctions Seoul imposed on May 24, 2010 in retaliation for the North's sinking of the naval frigate Cheonan in March of the same year.
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