North, South Korea to hold talks next week
North and South Korea said Friday they will hold talks next week aimed at improving ties in the wake of a military standoff.
The talks planned for Thursday, the first since August, will be conducted at the working-level and won't include North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un or Park Geun-Hye, South Korea's president.
In August, the two Koreas threatened each other over land mine blasts that wounded two South Korean soldiers, but last month in a move to ease tensions they agreed to allow the reunions of families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War.
North and South Korea share the world’s most heavily fortified border and their relationship has long been strained.
Friday's development comes amid efforts to arrange a visit to Pyongyang by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.