Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Two Koreas ready to end sanctions. South willing to put ‘May 24 issue’ to bed

South Korea is willing to discuss North Korea's demand for an end to sanctions imposed over a 2010 naval attack, the South said on Wednesday, a day after the rivals struck a landmark pact that defused a standoff between their forces.

South Korea is preparing to open a new channel of dialogue with the North after the Tuesday accord, in which North Korea expressed regret over a landmine incident that wounded South Korean soldiers and the South agreed to stop anti-North Korea propaganda being broadcast over border loudspeakers.

"When talks get under way, we think the May 24 issue will be raised by the North which has an interest in it, and I think it can be handled through dialogue," South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee told a briefing.

Jeong was referring to May 24, 2010, when South Korea announced sanctions that cut off most exchanges with the North, including tourism, trade and private aid, after it accused the North of a torpedo attack on a navy ship that killed 46 sailors.

North Korea denied any role in the attack and had called for the lifting of the sanctions before any talks could begin.

South Korea had demanded an apology from the North as a precondition for lifting the sanctions, but has since appeared to be relaxing its stance amid rising domestic sentiment in favor of re-engaging with the North.

In their agreement reached just after midnight on Tuesday, the two sides pledged to hold talks to discuss a range of issues on improving ties.

The North agreed to downgrade from a "semi war state" once the South ended propaganda broadcasts across the border at midday on Tuesday.

The defense ministry in Seoul said it has noted a number of signs of de-escalation, including the "re-appearance" of a large part of the North's submarine fleet that had been deployed off-radar over the weekend.

"As the North is easing its combat readiness, we're readjusting our own defense posture," said a ministry official who declined to be identified.

The United States, which has close to 30,000 troops permanently stationed in ally South Korea, welcomed the decision to de-escalate after what it called a "very tense" few days.

In a regular briefing for reporters, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said US surveillance had also noted a relaxation in the North's military stance.

"It doesn't mean we're back to normal, but we feel better about this situation," Cook added.

   [globaltimes.cn]
26-27/8/15
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