South Korea and North Korea discuss details of high-level talks

Officials from South and North Korea discussed details today for high-level talks next week on Pyongyang's possible participation in the Winter Olympics.PyeongChang 2018, according toYonhap.An official from the South Korean Unification Ministry said the two countriesstart the hotline contact session at 9:30 and discuss the composition of the delegations participating in the talks through the exchange of documents.

Previously, the two sides agreed to hold this meeting onJanuary 9 at the Panmunjom truce village on the inter-Korean border.

The South Korean delegation will consist of five people led by the Minister of Unification.Cho Myoung-gyontake the lead, while North Korea has yet to identify the specific members.

Previously,President Moon Jae-in was also informed about preparations for the upcoming inter-Korean talks, which are considered the first step in the process of resolving the crisis on the Korean peninsula by peaceful means.

In his New Year's speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left open the possibility of dialogue with South Korea and said the two sides should ease tensions. The two countries met for the first time this week.reopen the border hotline for two years.Pyongyang cut the hotline in February 2016 to protest Seoul's closure of an industrial complex that employed North Korean workers.