The rival Koreas have opened their first liaison office near their tense border to facilitate better communication and exchanges ahead of their leaders’ summit in Pyongyang next week.

The office’s opening at the North Korean border town of Kaesong is the latest in a series of reconciliatory steps the Koreas have taken this year.

The office is the first of its kind since the Koreas were divided at the end of the Second World War.

The Koreas so far have been using telephone and fax-like communication channels when they want to arrange talks and exchange messages. But those channels have been often suspended when tensions rose over North Korea’s nuclear programme.

There was an opening ceremony for the two Koreas’ first liaison office in Kaesong, North Korea (Korea Pool/Yonhap/AP)

In an opening ceremony at Kaesong, South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said the office will become the “cradle of Korean co-prosperity”.

“We’ll sit face to face, exchange our thoughts fast and accurately and put our heads together to resolve difficult matters,” he said in remarks distributed by his office.

About 15-20 South Korean officials are expected to stay at the office and a nearby lodging facility in Kaesong during the weekdays and take turns staffing the office on weekends, according to Seoul’s Unification Ministry.

They will deal with North Korean officials stationed at the office to discuss various inter-Korean issues, exchange messages from their capitals and facilitate civilian exchange programmes, the ministry said in a statement.

Kaesong is where the Koreas’ now-stalled jointly run factory complex is located.

The rival Koreas have launched their first liaison office near their tense border (Korea Pool/Yonhap/AP)

The park, which combined South Korean initiatives, capital and technology with North Korea’s cheap labour, was seen as a test case for unification of the Koreas. But its operation was suspended in 2016 amid an escalating standoff over North Korea’s long-range rocket launch.

The resumption of the Kaesong park and other dormant inter-Korean cooperation projects will not likely happen anytime soon because US-led international sanctions on North Korea remain in place.

Seoul officials said workers renovated some of the buildings used in the complex to use as the liaison office and the lodging facility.

The liaison office’s opening came before South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet for the third time this year next week to discuss denuclearisation of the peninsula and other issues.

During the previous meetings with Moon and a separate historic summit with President Donald Trump, Mr Kim has expressed his vague commitment to complete denuclearisation of the peninsula.

He has also dismantled his nuclear and rocket-engine testing sites. But nuclear diplomacy was later stalemated as US officials demanded Mr Kim take more significant steps before receiving concessions like a joint declaration to end the Korean War.

Mr Moon is to fly to Pyongyang next Tuesday for a three-day trip that he says will focus on facilitating talks between the United States and North Korea and finding ways to ease a military standoff along the Koreas’ heavily fortified border. </s> The rival Koreas have opened their first liaison office near their tense border to facilitate better communication and exchanges ahead of their leaders’ summit in Pyongyang next week. The office’s opening at the North Korean border town of Kaesong is the latest in a series of reconciliatory steps the Koreas have taken this year. The office is the first of its kind since the Koreas were divided at the end of the Second World War. The Koreas so far have been using telephone and fax-like communication channels when they want to arrange talks and exchange messages. But those channels have been often suspended when tensions rose over North Korea’s nuclear programme.

In an opening ceremony at Kaesong, South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said the office will become the “cradle of Korean co-prosperity”. “We’ll sit face to face, exchange our thoughts fast and accurately and put our heads together to resolve difficult matters,” he said in remarks distributed by his office. About 15-20 South Korean officials are expected to stay at the office and a nearby lodging facility in Kaesong during the weekdays and take turns staffing the office on weekends, according to Seoul’s Unification Ministry. They will deal with North Korean officials stationed at the office to discuss various inter-Korean issues, exchange messages from their capitals and facilitate civilian exchange programmes, the ministry said in a statement. Kaesong is where the Koreas’ now-stalled jointly run factory complex is located.

The park, which combined South Korean initiatives, capital and technology with North Korea’s cheap labour, was seen as a test case for unification of the Koreas. But its operation was suspended in 2016 amid an escalating standoff over North Korea’s long-range rocket launch. The resumption of the Kaesong park and other dormant inter-Korean cooperation projects will not likely happen anytime soon because US-led international sanctions on North Korea remain in place. Seoul officials said workers renovated some of the buildings used in the complex to use as the liaison office and the lodging facility. The liaison office’s opening came before South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet for the third time this year next week to discuss denuclearisation of the peninsula and other issues. During the previous meetings with Moon and a separate historic summit with President Donald Trump, Mr Kim has expressed his vague commitment to complete denuclearisation of the peninsula. He has also dismantled his nuclear and rocket-engine testing sites. But nuclear diplomacy was later stalemated as US officials demanded Mr Kim take more significant steps before receiving concessions like a joint declaration to end the Korean War. Mr Moon is to fly to Pyongyang next Tuesday for a three-day trip that he says will focus on facilitating talks between the United States and North Korea and finding ways to ease a military standoff along the Koreas’ heavily fortified border. </s> SEOUL, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- North and South Korea opened a liaison office on Friday in the border city of Kaesong to facilitate cross-border communications.

The opening of the liaison office comes as a follow-up measure of the April summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North and South Korean officials will be based at the office to assist communications between the North and South for ongoing inter-Korean projects and future exchanges.

According to South Korean media Chosun Ilbo, Seoul plans to have 25 to 30 staff members stationed at the office.

The liaison office is located in the joint factory complex in Kaesong, 37 miles north of Seoul. The South Korean government closed the joint factory complex in 2016, amid intensifying military tensions due to the North's nuclear and missile tests.

The office will enable face-to-face communication between the North and South in implementing a series of inter-Korean projects, including the ongoing railway project to connect disjointed railroads and restore old and damaged railways in the North, according to the Unification Ministry. </s> SEOUL: The rival Koreas on Friday opened their first liaison office near their tense border to facilitate better communication and exchanges ahead of their leaders' summit in Pyongyang next week.

The office's opening in the North Korean border town of Kaesong is the latest in a series of reconciliatory steps the Koreas have taken this year. The office is the first of its kind since the Koreas were divided at the end of World War II in 1945.

The Koreas so far have been using telephone and fax-like communication channels when they want to arrange talks and exchange messages. But those channels have often been suspended when tensions rose over North Korea's nuclear program.

In an opening ceremony at Kaesong, South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said the office will become the "cradle of Korean co-prosperity."

"We'll sit face to face, exchange our thoughts fast and accurately and put our heads together to resolve difficult matters," he said in remarks distributed by his office.

Ri Son Gwon, chairman of North Koreas's Committee for Peaceful Reunification, said during the ceremony that the office would help the Koreas have "candid conversations" and further build their ties, according to South Korean media pool reports from the site.

About 15-20 South Korean officials will work at the office from 9 to 5, sleep at nearby lodgings in Kaesong on weekdays and take turns staffing the office on weekends. They will deal with an equal number of North Korean officials stationed at the office to discuss various inter-Korean issues, exchange messages from their capitals and facilitate civilian exchange programs, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.

The office will be co-headed by Vice South Korean Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung and a deputy head of Ri's committee. They will hold an official meeting once a week, a ministry statement said.

Kaesong is where the Koreas' now-stalled jointly run factory complex is located. The park, which combined South Korean initiatives, capital and technology with North Korea's cheap labor, was seen as a test case for unification of the Koreas. But its operation was suspended in 2016 amid an escalating standoff over North Korea's long-range rocket launches.

The resumption of the Kaesong park and other dormant inter-Korean cooperation projects aren't likely to happen anytime soon because U.S.-led international sanctions on North Korea remain in place. Seoul officials said workers renovated some of the buildings used in the complex to use as the liaison office and the lodging facility.

The liaison office's opening came before South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet next week for the third time this year to discuss denuclearization of the peninsula and other issues.

During the previous meetings with Moon and a separate summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Kim has expressed a vague commitment to complete denuclearization of the peninsula. He has also dismantled his nuclear and rocket-engine testing sites. But nuclear diplomacy later became stalemated as U.S. officials demanded Kim take more significant steps before receiving concessions such as a joint declaration to end the Korean War.

Moon is to fly to Pyongyang next Tuesday for a three-day trip. He said he will focus on facilitating talks between the United States and North Korea and finding ways to ease the military standoff along the Koreas' heavily fortified border.

In a working-level meeting on Friday, the Koreas agreed to allow live television broadcasts of parts of the summit, Moon's office said. It said the live coverage will include key moments such as when the leaders greet each other in Pyongyang on Tuesday. It did not specify which other parts of the event would be broadcast live. </s> South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the Peace House at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, April 27, 2018.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in wants to create a Northeast Asian railroad community with North Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Russia and Mongolia, Yonhap News reported on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event marking his country's independence from Japanese rule, Moon said such a "community" could eventually herald the launch of a "multilateral security system" in the region, according to the report.

"This community will lead to an energy bloc and economic bloc in Northeast Asia by expanding our economic area to the northern continent and becoming the foundation of co-existence and prosperity in Northeast Asia," Moon projected, according to Yonhap.

The president's administration will seek to link railways and roads with the North before year-end, Yonhap said.

The initiative is one of many efforts that Seoul is undertaking to strengthen peace in Northeast Asia following June's milestone U.S.-North Korea summit. Since then, the reclusive regime has dismantled some missile engine testing facilities, but many question leader Kim Jong Un's willingness to deliver on the denuclearization promise he made to President Donald Trump.

Moon also called for broad energy and economic cooperation with the North on Wednesday, stressing his goal to politically unify both countries. "True liberation" will only be achieved when the two neighbors establish a lasting peace and economic relations, the head of state was quoted as saying.

The South Korean leader indicated that he will soon visit Pyongyang for a third bilateral summit with Kim. In May, the duo held their official second meeting at the border village of Panmunjom following an earlier summit in April.

For more on Moon's Wednesday speech, see Yonhap's full report. </s> Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon (2nd from R), escorted by Lee Jae-yong (R), the de facto chief of Samsung Group, looks around Samsung Electronics Co.'s plant in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, South Korea, on August 6. Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Heads of major South Korean conglomerates will be part of the South Korean delegation for the third North-South Korea summit in Pyongyang next week, South Korean media reported Thursday.

Some 10 to 15 business leaders of Samsung, Hyundai, SK and LG will visit Pyongyang next week with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for the third summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to Maeil Business.

Those invited include vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and de facto leader of South Korea's largest Samsung Group Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Company Chung Eui-sun, chairman of SK Corporation Choi Tae-won, CEO of LG Group Koo Kwang-mo and Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun.

The business magnates will be part of a 200-member South Korean delegation that will accompany Moon for the summit in Pyongyang, according to the report.

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Expectations for future economic cooperation between two Koreas are growing as works are underway to reconnect disjointed railways between the North and South and with the opening of the liaison office this week in the border city of Kaesong to facilitate cross-border communications.

According to the report, the business delegation include firms that participated in inter-Korean economic cooperation projects in the past, such as Hyundai Group. Hyundai operated tourist facilities and programs in Mt. Kumkang and the joint factory complex in Kaesong.

The business leaders have expressed deep interest in joining the South Korean delegation to the summit despite their concerns for economic and financial sanctions on North Korea because they trust the government can work out the hurdle, the report said, citing an unnamed source. </s> SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea plans to send a special envoy to North Korea in response to an invitation from leader Kim Jong Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in a phone call on Thursday.

The two presidents discussed recent visits to the South by high-level North Korean officials, the presidential Blue House in Seoul said in a statement.

The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang last month gave a boost to recent engagement between the two Koreas after more than a year of sharply rising tensions over the North’s missile programme and its sixth and largest nuclear test in defiance of United Nations sanctions.

“(Moon and Trump) agreed to continue to make efforts to head towards the Korean peninsula’s denuclearisation by maintaining the momentum of South-North dialogue,” the Blue House statement said.

In Washington, a White House statement on the two leaders’ call said Moon briefed Trump“on developments regarding North Korea and inter-Korean talks” but did not elaborate.

“The president wants to continue working with South Korea. It’s a strong ally. We have no daylight between the two of us. We’re going to continue those conversations,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters later on Thursday.

“The ultimate goal is to denuclearise the peninsula. That’s what we’re focused on and we’re excited about any steps moving forward in that process,” she said.

In sending an envoy to Pyongyang, Moon said he would be seeking to reciprocate for the senior delegations sent to the Olympics by Kim Jong Un, including his sister, Kim Yo Jong, the first visit by a member of the North’s ruling bloodline since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Kim Yo Jong delivered her brother’s invitation for Moon to visit Pyongyang. Such a visit would mark the first inter-Korean summit since 2007.

Moon is considering South Korea’s intelligence service chief Suh Hoon and Unification Minister Cho Myong-gyon as a possible special envoy to discuss the proposal, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Other candidates include Moon’s chief of staff, Im Jong-seok, National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, the officials said.

Suh and Cho served in an earlier liberal administration that championed the“sunshine” policy of inter-Korean engagement.

A Unification Ministry spokesman told a news briefing on Friday Moon would send an envoy“soon”, once preparations had been made.

Moon also planned to send high-level officials to Washington as early as next week to further facilitate conditions for talks with North Korea, a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Senior officials from Pyongyang visiting South Korea for the Olympics said on Sunday their government was open to talks with the United States, while the White House said any talks with North Korea must lead to an end of its nuclear programme.

Moon has urged North Korea and the United States to talk to resolve the issue of Pyongyang’s weapons programme, which Kim has said he will never abandon.

Seoul urged Washington and Pyongyang to give ground to allow for talks in the latest attempt to defuse the crisis over North Korea’s weapons programmes.

The North rejected Trump’s claim that he had helped advance inter-Korean talks with his“maximum pressure” campaign.

Washington unveiled its largest package of sanctions against Pyongyang last week as Trump warned of a“phase two” that could be“very, very unfortunate for the world” if the steps did not work.

The North’s official KCNA news agency described the latest sanctions as Trump’s“desperate” effort to stifle the country economically.

“It is really miserable to see that the Trump group clings frenziedly to the sanctions and pressure, still harbouring an illusion that they would work on us,” KCNA said on Thursday, citing a policy research director at the foreign ministry’s Institute for American Studies. </s> SEOUL: Top US, South Korean and Japanese officials have discussed how to achieve a complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula ahead of upcoming inter-Korean and US-North Korean summit talks. Seoul has said previously that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to hold summit talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in late April. Seoul says Kim proposed meeting with President Donald Trump , and Trump agreed to him by the end of May.The developments have raised hopes for a potential breakthrough in the North Korean nuclear crisis.US National Security Adviser HR McMaster met his South Korean and Japanese counterparts in San Francisco for talks over the weekend on denuclearization and the summit talks.South Korea's presidential office says the three agreed to maintain close trilateral cooperation. </s> South Korean President Moon Jae-In (R) and U.S. President Donald Trump (L) walk towards a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential Blue House on November 7, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
• South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday a three-way summit with North Korea and the United States is possible.
• Moon said talks should aim for an end to the nuclear threat on the Korean peninsula.
• President Donald Trump has said he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by the end of May.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday a three-way summit with North Korea and the United States is possible and that talks should aim for an end to the nuclear threat on the Korean peninsula.

Moon is planning a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month after a flurry of diplomatic activity in Asia, Europe and the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has also said he would meet Kim by the end of May.

"A North Korea-U.S. summit would be a historic event in itself following an inter-Korean summit," Moon said at the presidential Blue House in Seoul after a preparatory meeting for the inter-Korean summit.

"Depending on the location, it could be even more dramatic. And depending on progress, it may lead to a three-way summit between the South, North and the United States," he said.

Seoul officials are considering the border truce village of Panmunjom, where Moon and Kim are set for a one-day meeting, as the venue for talks between not only Kim and Moon but also a possible three-way meeting.

A Blue House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Moon did not specifically refer to Panmunjom or that a three-way summit had been discussed with Washington before the president spoke.

The rush of recent diplomatic contacts began in the lead-up to the Winter Olympics in South Korea last month and helped ease tensions on the Korean peninsula caused by North Korea's pursuit of its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of United Nations Security Council sanctions.

South Korea wants to hold high-level talks with North Korea on March 29 to discuss a date and agenda for the inter-Korean summit and make a formal request to the North on Thursday, Moon's presidential office said.

North and South Korean officials should be able to agree on when the summit between Moon and Kim will take place once the officials from both sides meet this month, the Blue House official said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets a member of the special delegation of South Korea's President at a dinner in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 6, 2018. KCNA

Moon said the series of summits should aim for a "complete end" to the nuclear and peace issues on the Korean peninsula.

He said he has a "clear goal and vision", which is for the establishment of a lasting peace to replace the ceasefire signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean war. It also includes the normalization of North Korea-U.S. relations, the development of inter-Korean ties, and economic cooperation involving Pyongyang and Washington, he said.

However, the United States must also add its guarantee in order for peace to come about, Moon said.

"Whether the two Koreas live together or separately, we have to make it in a way that they prosper together and in peace, without interfering or causing damage to each other," Moon said.

The Blue House official said this could mean stopping propaganda broadcasts at the border that are commonly blasted from both sides over loudspeakers. The official could not say whether "interference" also referred to criticism over widely recognized human rights violations in North Korea.

South Korea and the United States will resume joint military drills next month, although the exercises are expected to overlap with the summit between the two Koreas.

Seoul and Washington delayed the annual drills until after the Winter Olympics, helping to foster conditions for a restart of such talks.

North Korea regularly denounces the drills as preparation for war but a South Korean special envoy has said Kim understood that the allies must continue their "routine" exercises. That exchange has not been confirmed.

The North's official KCNA news agency said on Wednesday a "dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation" had been created in cross-border ties and there had also been a sign of change in North Korea-U.S. relations.

That was "thanks to the proactive measure and peace-loving proposal" made by Pyongyang, not Trump's campaign to put maximum pressure on the country, KCNA said in a commentary.

The Blue House official also said earlier on Wednesday South Korea was in discussions with China and Japan for a three-way summit in Tokyo in early May. The three countries have not held such a meeting since November 2015, with relations soured by historical and territorial tensions.
North Korea and South Korea open their first liaison office near Kaesong ahead of third third summit meeting between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un in 2018.