North Korea to send 5 people to negotiate with South Korea
North Korea announced that it will send a five-member delegation to participate in talks with South Korea next week.
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Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (left), and South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon. Photo:Straits Times/AFP. |
South Korea and North Korea agreed on January 5 to hold formal talks, the first in more than two years, on January 9 at the border village of Panmunjom to discuss Pyongyang's possible participation in the Winter Olympics to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from February 9 to 25.
Seoul proposed on January 6 to send a five-member delegation led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon. Pyongyang responded today, announcing that it would send a five-member delegation led by Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK).Yonhapinformation from the Ministry of Unification of Korea.
"We believe South Korea and North Korea have set up delegations in a balanced manner," a South Korean official said.
Mr. Ri is known as a veteran negotiator in the South-North Korea negotiations. He has led many North Korean delegations to participate in military dialogue between the two Koreas since 2006.
South Korea hopes the talks will act as a catalyst to mend ties and resume cooperation between the two Koreas, despite concerns that North Korea wants to use the Winter Olympics to ease the impact of international sanctions and drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul.
