North, South Korea agree to hold military talks to defuse border tension

North and South Korea have agreed to hold military talks to defuse border tension, after their first high-level meeting in two years.The North will also send a delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games taking place in South Korea in February. Agreement was also reached to reinstate a military hotline suspended two years ago, the South's government said. 

However, the North's delegation was negative on the subject of denuclearisation, the South added. Seoul said it is prepared to lift some unilateral sanctions temporarily so North Koreans could visit for the Winter Olympics. North Korea said its delegation will include athletes, high-ranking officials, a cheering squad, art performers, reporters and spectators.

The US State Department said Washington will be interested in joining future talks, but stuck to its insistence they must be aimed at



denuclearisation, something North Korea rejects, showing that a diplomatic breakthrough remains far off.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the progress made in the talks, particularly the agreement to hold military-to-military talks, calling this "critical to lowering the risk of miscalculation."

China's Foreign Ministry said it was happy to see talks between North and South Korea and welcomed all positive steps. Russia echoed the sentiment, with a Kremlin spokesman saying: "This is exactly the kind of dialogue that we said was necessary.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach called the talks "a great step forward in the Olympic spirit" and said the IOC would await official proposals on the number and names of athletes from the North and such matters as flag, anthem and ceremonies.