S. Korea to hold preparatory military talks with DPRK
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South Korea proposed Wednesday holding a meeting on Feb. 11 with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the border village of Panmunjom to prepare for high-level inter-Korean military talks, the defense ministry here said.
The country also proposed separate inter-Korean talks aimed at confirming Pyongyang's commitment to ending its nuclear program, according to the ministry.
The move came after South Korean government accepted last week the DPRK's offer for high-ranking military talks to discuss pending military issues.
According to Seoul's unification ministry, Pyongyang proposed discussing the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan and the shelling of a South Korean border island at the high-level military talks. The two incident killed 50 South Koreans.
The DPRK has denied its involvement in the sinking and claimed the shelling was a self-defensive measure against a military drill between South Korea and the United States near a disputed sea border.
The talks, if held, will mark the first major contact between the two estranged neighbors amid high cross-border tension.
They would also follow the recent summit between the Chinese and U.S. leaders, who called for improved inter-Korean ties and Pyongyang's commitment to its pledges of denuclearization.
