| Two Koreas to Continue Talks on SundayOfficials fail to agree on how to defuse military tensions after 10 hours of talks SEOUL—Senior officials from the two Koreas will resume talks later Sunday after they failed to agree on how to dial down a military standoff following 10 hours of discussions through the night, a South Korean spokesman said. Advisers to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Park Geun-hye will meet again at their border outpost of Panmunjom from 3 p.m. South Korean time, said South Korea’s presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook. Mr. Min said the two sides had detailed discussions but gave no indication of whether their differences had narrowed before the talks adjourned at 4:15 a.m. The two Koreas are trying to find a way to prevent an escalation of a military clash after North Korea fired shells over the border on Aug. 20. South Korea responded with multiple rounds of artillery fire. Pyongyang has threatened further attacks and Seoul has vowed a strong response. Both sides are keeping their militaries on alert as the talks continue. Media have been barred from observing the meeting, which was initiated by North Korea. South Korea’s main representative is National Security Adviser Kim Kwan-jin, while North Korea’s lead negotiator is Hwang Pyong So, vice chairman of the country’s top military body, the National Defense Commission. Mr. Hwang is an aide of the North Korean dictator. High-level talks between the two Koreas over the years often turned into marathon sessions and produced few clear agreements. Compromises have been rare. In 2013, one round of talks broke down into a physical scuffle. The latest tensions between the Koreas began earlier this month when two South Korean soldiers were maimed by land mines on the southern side of the rival nations’ heavily armed border. A United Nations military investigation found North Korea responsible for planting the mines; Pyongyang denied responsibility. In response, South Korea began broadcasts from 11 loudspeaker systems along its border into North Korea, resuming a tactic last used over a decade ago designed to demoralize soldiers on the other side. The loudspeakers broadcast criticisms of Pyongyang’s regime, as well as messages about democracy and even pop music. The speaker systems are each turned on for around 10 hours a day. North Korea strongly objects to the broadcasts because they are a breach of the information blockade it tries to maintain to prevent its people wanting to challenge its dictatorship. After the initial exchange of fire on Aug. 20, which caused no casualties, North Korea threatened to attack the loudspeakers unless Seoul turned them off by 5 p.m. on Saturday. South Korea refused and warned of strong retaliation to any attack. North Korea has ramped up aggressive rhetoric in its state media and declared a “semiwar state,” a move that experts see as an effort to rally its people behind its leader. On Saturday, South Korea and the U.S. flew fighter jets close to the border in a simulated bombing run, a tactic to warn North Korea against any military action. The allies are also currently staging their annual summer military drills in South Korea to ensure readiness for any North Korean invasion. | 
發表於 2015-8-22 22:01
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