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S. Korea to push for talks with N. Korea after family reunions: NSC chief

October 23, 2015
National security adviser Kim Kwan-jin speaks at a parliamentary audit session on Oct. 23, 2015. (Yonhap)

National security adviser Kim Kwan-jin speaks at a parliamentary audit session on Oct. 23, 2015. (Yonhap)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — South Korea will push for inter-Korean government and red cross talks in the near future after the on-going event of family reunions, Seoul’s security adviser said Friday.

“Regarding the South-North agreement, we will go ahead with government-level talks some time after the family reunion, although we haven’t decided the exact time yet, along with the red cross talks,” Kim Kwan-jin, the chief of the National Security Council, said in a parliamentary audit.

In the landmark Aug. 25 deal ending a military standoff, the two Koreas agreed to hold talks “between their authorities in Pyongyang or Seoul at an early date to improve inter-Korean ties and have multifaceted dialogue and negotiations in the future.”

The two sides also reached an agreement on resuming the family reunions for the first time since February 2014, with nearly 200 families given a rare chance to meet their separated relatives in more than half a century.

“If the two Koreas make progress, we can hold family reunion events on a regular basis and check whether or not they are alive,” Kim said.

He said that the South Korean government is very supportive in promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

“There are many non-governmental projects and businesses to restore the Korean affinity in culture, environment and livelihood,” he said. “The Ministry of Unification will support private sector-led inter-Korean exchanges in various fields.”