North and South Korea to reconnect transport

North and South Korean officials on Monday agreed to kickstart work on reconnecting the two nations’ roads and railways, along with other steps toward reunification. South Korean unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon and his northern counterpart Ri Son Gwon led the meeting at the North Korean border village of Panmunjom, where the countries planned to hold a groundbreaking ceremony to reconnect their transportation lines in late November or early December. The South Korean Unification Ministry in a statement said the two Koreas also consented to use their recently opened liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong to discuss sending joint teams to the 2020 Summer Olympics and bidding to cohost the 2032 Olympics. In November, the two nations will hold a meeting at the North Korean Diamond Mountain resort to set up video conversations between aging Koreans separated by the 1950 war, the statement said. The countries also want to hold talks to set up a joint military committee to maintain communication and avoid clashes.

South Korea’s increasingly warm relations with the North have sparked concern from the United States as it maintains a “maximum pressure” stance on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. South Korea last week walked back comments it was considering lifting some sanctions on the North after U.S. President Donald Trump said South Korea can do nothing without approval from the United States. The South’s unification ministry said its government would share details of the meeting with the United States to avoid disagreements over sanctions.