Two Koreas remain locked in high－level talks， President Park stands by principle

The two Koreas′s second session of high－level talks aimed at cooling tensions on the peninsula is still ongoing. Still， no word yet， on any outcome of the discussions. But， this morning，... President Park Geun－hye held a meeting with her senior secretaries，... talking tough toward North Korea and its latest provocations. For details， let′s connect to our presidential office correspondent Choi You－sun . You－sun， what messages did the president deliver today？ Well， guys. President Park clearly stated that the most important issue on the two Koreas′ agenda is getting the North to give an apology for its recent land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone. Unless that is achieved， she said Seoul will continue its anti－North Korea broadcasts， which resumed after the DMZ attack. While denying responsibility for the blasts， Pyongyang is reported to have demanded that Seoul stop its propaganda broadcasts，... calling it an insult to the North′s leader， Kim Jong－un. The August 4th incident left two South Korean soldiers seriously injured， escalating tensions that led to the exchanging of artillery fire last week. The South Korean president added that her government will not back down to Pyongyang′s increasing threats and that the vicious cycle of North Korean provocations followed by tensions， incentives... then another provocation， must stop once and for all. She said Seoul will strongly respond to any type of provocation by Pyongyang... but is still open to joining hands with its northern neighbor for peace and prosperity. So， it appears the two－track policy remains intact. Do we know of any new developments resulting from these marathon talks？ Officials here in the South remain tight－lipped， as any unconfirmed leaks could negatively affect the ongoing negotiations. The presidential office in Seoul is known to be closely watching the situation. Aside from the DMZ issue， the two sides were expected to have exchanged views on non－military issues， such as resuming reunions for families separated by the Korean War. It′s likely North Korea urged the South to stop its annual military exercises with the U.S.， which it considers a war game， and sought ways to resume inter－Korean tourism and other economic projects that were suspended after a series of prior North Korean provocations. It′s difficult to predict whether the marathon talks will bring about a substantial outcome. I should point out that the North has yet to apologize for its torpedoing of the South Korean warship Cheonan and the shelling of the South′s Yeonpyeong－do Island in 2010， which combined...claimed the lives of 50 South Koreans. But the fact that they are continuing talks for the third straight day shows both sides are committed to resolving the situation. Whether they will strike a deal today or call another adjournment，... we′ll have to wait and see. This was Choi You－sun reporting on the second round of inter－Korean talks.