Plenty to be discussed by two Koreas at high-level talks

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ArirangNews

2020-04-05T20:58:40-0400

Back here in Korea... the first round of high-level talks between the two Koreas since the inter-Korean summit on April 27th... is to take place tomorrow.
There's plenty to discuss during this meeting... especially on ways to implement the Panmunjom Declaration.
Oh Jung-hee has more.
At the April inter-Korean summit, the leaders of Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to hold military talks before the end of May with the aim of lowering tensions.
They also agreed to hold Red Cross talks as soon as possible on resuming family reunions for families separated by the Korean War.
But the schedules of both these talks have already been delayed.
And that's why it's expected... that setting the dates of these talks will come above anything else at Friday's high-level talks.
The date for the family reunions has already been fixed for August 15th... but it takes two to three months to identify and register people wishing to meet their family members from the other side of the border.

Also believed to be on the agenda is the two Koreas holding a joint event on major shared dates -- the first date set is June 15th.
And as stipulated in the Panmunjom Declaration,... Seoul and Pyongyang may also touch upon establishing a joint liaison office in the North Korean city of Kaesong -- where officials from both South and North Korea will be stationed.

Meanwhile, with Seoul's vice minister of transport and Pyongyang's vice minister of railways attending the meeting,... it's expected that they will discuss linking the existing railways between the two Koreas.
In the Panmunjom Declaration, the two Koreas have agreed to connect and modernize railways along the east coast as well as between Seoul and the North Korean city of Sinuiju.
The forming of joint teams for the Asian Games, held in Indonesia this August, seems to also be on the table,... with the vice ministers of sports from South and North Korea both taking part in Friday's talks.
And there's the possibility of forestation projects being brought up, as Seoul says the vice minister of its Forest Service may also be at the meeting.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.