North Korea has accepted Seoul's proposal for a "high-level" dialogue to be held on Tuesday 9 January. This was reported by the Yonhap agency. The two Koreas agreed to hold "high-level" talks on Tuesday 9 January for the first time in over two years for discuss the potential presence of a Northern delegation at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games (February 9-25) and the options available for improving bilateral relations.
The turning point has come with Pyongyang's acceptance of the offer made a few days ago by Seoul, shortly after the postponement of the annual military exercises of the USA and South Korea, called Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, generically rescheduled at the conclusion of the Olympics as defined by the telephone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Moon Jae-in yesterday. The maneuvers, a pillar of the alliance, have the role of deterrence towards the North, which instead sees them as the general rehearsal of an attack against it, and usually begin between the end of February and the beginning of March.
On Wednesday, however, the "red line" of direct communication from the border village of Panmunjom between Seoul and Pyongyang was reactivated after being stopped for almost two years.
"The parties have agreed to discuss operational issues with the exchange of documents," explained Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry, in a press briefing. The main part of the agenda, he added, would instead include ways to unblock the relationship deadlock, including the Olympic knot.
