N. Korea, U.N. Command set for high-level military talks at border

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, March 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and the U.S.-led United Nations Command
(UNC) completed preparations Thursday for their high-level talks a day later at a
truce village straddling the divided Koreas, a UNC statement said.
The two sides held a series of meetings this week as tension mounts on the Korean
Peninsula that remains technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a
truce rather than a peace treaty.
North Korea has recently threatened war with South Korea, accusing it of wrecking
cross-border rapprochement. It also appears to be preparing to test-fire a
ballistic missile capable of hitting Alaska.
The UNC, backed by 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea, held the first
general-grade talks with North Korea in over six years at the border village of
Panmunjom on Monday.
North Korea demanded at the meeting that South Korea and the U.S. cancel their
upcoming annual defense drill, calling it a preparation for invasion, according
to South Korean officials.
The two sides held a colonel-level meeting Thursday to "develop agenda items and
establish administrative protocol for the upcoming general talks," the UNC said
in a statement.
The Friday meeting will again be attended by U.S. Maj. Gen. Johnny Weida, who
will head the UNC delegation consisting of lower-ranking South Korean, British
and New Zealand military officers. The statement did not give details on their
North Korean counterparts.
"The purpose of the meetings is to discuss practical armistice-related issues,
reaffirm commitment to the general officer forum, and reduce tension on the
Korean Peninsula," the statement said.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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