Two Koreas hold military talks as US detects missile factory activity
Meanwhile, US detects new activity at N. Korean factory that builds long-range missiles
SEOUL: North and South Korea held military talks to build trust yesterday, while the US detected renewed activity at a North Korean missile factory.
The meeting, held in the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone, was designed to follow on from an inter-Korean summit in April at which leaders of the two Koreas agreed to defuse tensions and halt "all hostile acts".
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also vowed during his summit with US President Donald Trump last month to work towards denuclearisation, but there has not been a concrete agreement to accomplish that goal.
Major-General Kim Do Gyun, the South's chief negotiator in charge of North Korea policy at the Defence Ministry, told reporters he would make efforts to craft "substantive" measures to ease tensions and build trust.
EXCAVATION
The two sides are expected to discuss a possible cut in firearms and personnel stationed at the DMZ, as well as a joint excavation for the remains of soldiers killed in the Korean War.
South Korea's Defence Ministry said last week it plans to reduce guard posts and equipment along the heavily fortified border as an initial step to implement the agreement.
Lieutenant-General Ahn Ik San, who is leading the North Korean delegation at the military talks, noted South Korean news reports suggesting he might try to persuade the South to push for a joint declaration with the US to formally end the war.
"Before determining whether it is true or not, I realise the people of the North and South regard our talks as important," Lt-Gen Ahn said at the start of the meeting.
"And it also emphasises the sense of duty of the times, and the role given to the military in the efforts of the North and South for peace and prosperity."
The Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Pyongyang sees an official end to war as crucial to lowering tensions. It accused US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of making a "gangster-like" demand for denuclearisation during his visit to Pyongyang earlier this month, while rejecting its wish to discuss declaring an end to the conflict.
The US State Department has said it is committed to building a peace mechanism in place of the armistice when the North denuclearises.
On Monday, a senior US official told Reuters that US spy satellites had detected renewed activity at the North Korean factory that produced the country's first intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US.
Mr Pompeo said last week that North Korea was continuing to produce fuel for nuclear bombs.
Mr Trump had declared soon after his summit with Mr Kim in Singapore that North Korea no longer posed nuclear threats, but Pyongyang has offered no details on its plan to denuclearise and subsequent talks have not gone smoothly. - REUTERS
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