North and South Korea to begin military talks – CNN.com

(CNN) — North and South Korea will meet at the truce village of Panmunjom on Tuesday to begin working-level military talks, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said.

The talks are meant to help pave the way for higher-level military discussions.

Colonel-grade officers from both sides will lead the meeting, which is expected to start at 10 a.m., according to the ministry.

The South has previously said that it will demand that Pyongyang take responsibility for last year’s military provocations and promise not to carry out any more attacks. Higher-level military talks will be held only if the North promises to refrain from further provocations.

The Seoul government also has proposed holding inter-Korean talks between high-ranking government officials to discuss denuclearization, something the North has not yet agreed to.

Last month, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it had reopened communication channels with North Korea in the border area of Panmunjom.

It was the first time in eight months the two sides had reopened the hotline, as tensions on the peninsula remain high. North Korea cut it off May 26 to protest Seoul’s response to the March sinking of a South Korean naval ship.

via North and South Korea to begin military talks – CNN.com.