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Seoul eyes regular high-level talks with N. Korea

TOKYO, Jan 19 (KUNA) -- South Korea's Unification Ministry said Friday that it will push to regularize high-level talks with North Korea as it makes inter-Korean reconciliation a policy priority for this year, Yonhap News Agency reported.
In a 2018 policy briefing, the ministry vowed efforts to restore stalled inter-Korean relations by tapping momentum from next month's PyeongChang Winter Olympics in three ways -- the regularization of high-level talks, the resumption of exchanges and cooperation in the humanitarian sector.
"The government will seek regular high-level meetings to discuss ways to enhance inter-Korean relations comprehensively," the ministry said. "Seoul also will seek sectoral talks with Pyongyang. It will pursue an improvement in ties and the resolution of North Korea's nuclear issue in tandem," it added.
The two Koreas held high-level talks on January 9, the first formal talks in more than two years, to discuss the North's participation in the February 9-25 Winter Olympics. They agreed to continue to open high-level talks but fell short of agreeing to hold them on a regular basis.
The move came as North Korea is under tough international sanctions over its nuclear and missile provocations. It conducted its sixth nuclear test and fired three intercontinental ballistic missiles last year.
The ministry said it hopes that by the end of this year, the two Koreas can have frequent dialogue, setting conditions for talks aimed at having the North give up nuclear weapons. "Based on inter-Korean talks and international coordination, we hope that North Korea can be induced into negotiations to discuss the North's denuclearization," it said. It added that Seoul wants phased and comprehensive denuclearization talks to kick off if the North freezes its nuclear weapons program. (end) mk.hb