Koreas hold talks amid heightened tensions
Monday, 27 Oct 2008 14:08
Direct talks between North Korea and South Korea taking place for only second time in 2008
Direct talks between
North Korea and South Korea are today taking place for only the second time this year.
The discussions, involving military officials at a location within the Korean Demilitarised Zone, came at the request of the north.
Pyongyang is unhappy with president Lee Myung-bak's hardline stance on aid to the north and is also expected to complain about a flurry of leaflets being sent into its territory by southern civic groups.
Repairs to military-to-military hotlines on the border are also said to be on the agenda.
Earlier this month the north said it was planning on cutting all ties with Seoul, while editorials in state-run media have speculated about a future conflict unless issues are resolved.
Leaflets flown into North Korea via balloon by anti-Pyongyang groups are relatively common, but recent drops have angered the north by speculating about the health of leader Kim Jong-il, who is thought to have suffered a stroke.
Mr Lee, who assumed office this February, has made an end to the sunshine policy of his predecessor a key aspect of his administration.
The north has accused the businessman-turned-president of doing what the US tells him after he linked aid from the south to progress in the dismantling of the north's nuclear programme.
Pyongyang and Seoul technically remain at war after failing to agree a peace deal after a ceasefire brought the 1950-53 Korean war to a halt.
Including in the leaflets being sent into the north are demands that Pyongyang discloses the fate of hundreds of political prisoners and abductees from the south.