SEOUL, Oct 15: North and South Korea held their first high-level military talks for seven years today, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported, following a series of recent incidents on their land and maritime borders.
Yonhap said the talks between generals on both sides was held at the border truce village of Panmunjom.
The South’s defence ministry declined to comment on the report.
According to Yonhap, the last time military officers of the rank of general met for discussions was in December 2007.
In a rare incident on their heavily-fortified land border, the two Koreas exchanged heavy machine-gun fire last Friday after the North’s military tried to shoot down some leaflet-laden balloons launched by South Korean anti-Pyongyang activists.
There were no reported casualties.
And, last Tuesday, North and South Korean naval patrol boats briefly exchanged warning fire near their disputed Yellow Sea border, which has been the site of numerous clashes in the past.
Because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a treaty, the two Koreas remain technically at war. (AGENCIES)
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