남북 장성급 회담 판문점에서 화기애애한 분위기로 시작
Generals from South and North Korea met today at the border village of Panmunjom... to talk about easing military tensions, as agreed in April at the inter-Korean summit.
We understand both sides were hopeful when they began.
For now, though, the talks have wrapped up.
Our Park Ji-won is at Seoul's Office for Inter-Korean Dialogue, and she joins us now with the latest.
Ji-won?
Good afternoon, Devin.
The general-level inter-Korean military talks ran from 10 a.m. to about two p.m. Korea time today,... at the Peace House on the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom.
According to South Korea's defense ministry press pool,... the first meeting was in a group setting, lasting until about 11 a.m.
That was followed by a one-on-one meeting between the chief negotiators, which ended at around two p.m.,... meaning they skipped their lunch break.
The two sides are now in further discussions within their delegations.
The talks started in a friendly atmosphere,.. with both sides expressing their hopes and expectations... that today's talks could yield fruitful results.
The two delegations have five-members each,... and they are led by the same officials as last month's talks -- Major General Kim Do-gyun from the South and Lieutenant General Ahn Ik-san from the North,... who are both considered the same rank.
And now let's now hear what the heads of the two delegations told the media... right before their closed-door meeting.
"I believe the seeds were already sown in the spring... with the April 27th Panmunjom Declaration. Putting our heads together, like we are now, in this scorching heat will surely lead to a fruitful harvest in the fall. I firmly believe that, through these talks,... South and North Korea can achieve the goals that the international community has been hoping for."
"Before going into the talks, I'd like to say that, by being earnest and sincere,... we can bring joy to all those watching today's talks from both Koreas and from all over the world. Let's work so that they say 'a ha, military cooperation is really at the forefront of inter-Korean relations.'"
It's been nearly 50 days... since the two chief negotiators held marathon talks in mid-June. At that time, the two sides agreed to restore the military communication lines on the western and eastern sides of the Peninsula,... one of which, in the west, was completely restored earlier this month.
According to a military source,... the two sides are also likely to discuss disarming South and North Korean soldiers at the Joint Security Area in the DMZ,... and withdrawing troops and equipment located at some guard posts as a pilot program.
The creation of a peace zone around the Northern Limit Line,... the de-facto maritime border in the West Sea,... is also expected to be one of the key topics.
And it's expected that the talks will continue until the late afternoon or into the evening.
I will bring you more updates in
