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S Korea to meet with DPRK at joint park next week

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-05 21:05

SEOUL -- South Korea will meet with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the Kaesong Joint Industrial Park on June 11, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said, citing a Seoul official.

The DPRK proposed to hold working-level talks on June 11 at the joint park, weeks after negotiations to schedule government-level talks broke down as they couldn't narrow down their differences, Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said.

Related readings:  S.Korea to meet with DPRK at joint park  DPRK boat intrudes into ROK waters  Japan warns DPRK against new missile launch  DPRK accuses US, SKorea of massive aerial spying  ROK, US raise watch level on DPRK: YONHAP

Chun said that the Seoul government notified Pyongyang of its acceptance message, adding that there have been attempts of communication going on to step up dialogues between the two Koreas since the negotiations failed.

During the last governmental talks on April 21, which lasted only 22 minutes, the two sides presented their stances on the operation of Kaesong's inter-Korean industrial complex but failed to conduct in-depth discussion.

While the DPRK officials at the talks focused on issues of wages, land use fees and other contracts governing the joint park, they refused to bring up the issue of the detained worker on the agenda, the main subject of the South Korean delegation.

The recent offer from the DPRK came amid heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula with the DPRK's nuclear tests and several times of missile firings.