North Korea accepts South Korea's proposal for talks on Jan. 9
통일부, 북 전통문 "9일 판문점 고위급회담 제안 수락+회담 의제 평창 비롯 관계 개선 문제" We start with the breaking news that tops off what has been an eventful week here on the Korean Peninsula. Just two hours ago... North Korea finally answered South Korea's proposal for talks. The two sides will meet next Tuesday to discuss issues on sending North Korean athletes to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and issues related to improving inter-Korean ties. For more, we have our Ji Myung-kil on the line at Seoul's Unification Ministry. Myung-kil, fill us in. Hello Mark. North Korea answered South Korea's proposal in just three days. At 10:16 a.m. Seoul time,... North Korea sent a fax to South Korea at the truce village of Panmunjeom. The North agreed to hold talks on January 9th at the Peace House,... located in the shared border village. But the time has not been specified. Pyongyang said the high-level talks will be focused on sending the North Korean delegation to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics... and other matters related to improving inter-Korean ties. The North said practical details will be discussed through exchanging documents at the communication room at Panmunjeom. The fax was sent by the name of Ri Son-gwon, who is the chair of North Korea's committee for peaceful reunification, and was forwarded to South Korea's unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon. Therefore, there is a high possibility that ministerial level talks will be held next Tuesday. They will be the first high-level talks since 2012. Right Myung-kil... about sending North Korean athletes to Pyeongchang... it's just a month away... will the two Koreas be able to sort things out by then? Yes Mark. As you know... sending North Korean athletes will be the biggest part of the talks next Tuesday. After the two sides hold talks... both South and North Korea will also have to consult with the International Olympic Committee. According to the unification ministry... North Korea plans to hold meetings with the IOC next week. The two sides will likely discuss the number of North Korean athletes that will participate in the games, how they will come to South Korea and whether the two countries plan to form a unified team. The Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic organizing committee has been preparing for a long time for the possibility of North Korea's participation in the games. The Olympic organizing committee plans to come-up with more concrete plans depending on the progress of the inter-Korean talks. Arirang News Facebook: / arirangtvnews ------------------------------------------------------------ [Subscribe Arirang Official YouTube] ARIRANG TV: / arirang ARIRANG RADIO: / music180arirang ARIRANG NEWS: / arirangnews ARIRANG K-POP: / arirangworld ARIRANG ISSUE: / arirangtoday ARIRANG CULTURE: / arirangkorean ------------------------------------------------------------ [Visit Arirang TV Official Pages] Facebook: / arirangtv Twitter: / arirangworld Instagram: / arirangworld Homepage: http://www.arirang.com ------------------------------------------------------------ [Arirang K-Pop] YouTube: / arirangworld Facebook: / arirangkpop Google+: http://plus.google.com/+arirangworld
