S. Korea, DPRK to hold general-level military talks on July 31
Xinhua
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SEOUL, July 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have agreed to hold general-level military talks next week, Seoul's Defense Ministry said Friday.

The DPRK side proposed the talks, which the South Korean side accepted, according to the Defense Ministry.

The general-level military dialogue would be held on July 31 at Peace House, a South Korean building at the border village of Panmunjom.

The South Korean delegation would be led by Maj. Gen. Kim Do-gyun who will talk with his DPRK counterpart Lt. Gen. An Ik-san leading a five-member delegation.

Issues to de discussed were expected to be the disarmament of the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the Panmunjom and the withdrawal of troops and equipment from guard posts inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas.

After their first summit on April 27 in Panmunjom, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un agreed to stop all hostile acts near the border area to reduce military tensions.

Other issues to be on the dialogue agenda could be the joint excavation inside the DMZ of the remains of soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea could reportedly raise the issue for turning the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a de-facto inter-Korean sea border, into a maritime peace zone.

The DPRK has not acknowledged the NLL as a sea border as it was unilaterally drawn by the U.S.-led UN Command after the Korean War.

On June 14, the two Koreas held the first general-grade military talks in over a decade, agreeing to restore military hotlines along the eastern and western regions completely.