— Reuters picSEOUL, March 24 — North Korea today agreed to hold high-level talks with Seoul next week to discuss logistics for a rare inter-Korean summit, the South’s Unification Ministry said, as a diplomatic thaw on the peninsula gathers pace. “This morning, North Korea sent a message through a communication channel in Panmunjom agreeing to our suggestion made on the 22nd to hold high-level inter-Korea talks,” the ministry said in a statement. State media in the North have not reported any public activities by Kim since March 6, when they said he held talks with South Korean envoys and made a "satisfactory agreement" on the proposed inter-Korean summit. A team of three officials will be led by Ri Son Gwon, the chairman of North Korea’s committee for the peaceful reunification of the country, the North told its neighbour early on Saturday, the South’s Unification Ministry said. The talks will take place at the Unification Pavilion building on the northern side of Panmunjom, which sits on the border, with Seoul's delegation led by unification minister Cho Myoung Gyon and his counterpart Ri Son Gwon heading Pyongyang's. The announcement came a day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in teased the possibility of another meeting, this one among the United States, North Korea and South Korea. The United States and South Korea announced Tuesday that their annual joint military drills would go ahead next month, but the main exercise will be shortened by a month. "Through these talks and future talks, we must end the nuclear and peace issue on the Korean Peninsula. "I have said before that China agrees that the U.N. Security Council should make a further response and necessary actions with respect to North Korea's sixth nuclear test," he told reporters. The meeting between Moon and Kim is just a warm-up for the main event, however, with US President Donald Trump accepting an invitation to meet with the North Korean leader sometime before the end of May.
North Korea accepts South Korea's proposal to hold high-level inter-Korean talks, scheduled to take place on March 29.