Seoul running task force for inter-Korean military talks: official

SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Defense Ministry said Monday that it has
been running a 15-member task force to prepare for possible military talks
between South and North Korea.
The team has also researched potential agenda items in the military field if and
when inter-Korean summit talks are held, although its main purpose is to prepare
for military talks, said a ministry official, requesting anonymity.
The remarks follow South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's recent interview with
British public broadcaster BBC, in which he said that he may be able to hold a
summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sometime this year.
Earlier in the day, the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae also said
that the political climate across the Korean Peninsula is ripe for another
inter-Korean summit, even if there are currently no concrete moves being made in
that direction.
The last such summit was held in 2007 between then South Korean President Roh
Moo-hyun and the North Korean leader.
"We've been running the team at the working-level to prepare for a variety of
possible inter-Korean military talks, including at the ministerial- and
general-level," the official said.
The task force consists of 15 officials and experts from the Defense Ministry and
the Joint Chiefs of Staff and organizations including the Korea Institute for
Defense Analyses, according to the official.
(END)