SEOUL Aug. 12 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATIN...

SEOUL Aug. 12 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH of recent origin DEVELOPMENTS)

North and southern Korea resumed ministerial talks upon Monday, with the toward the south proposing inter-Korean military talks at an early date to discuss cross-border railway and road links, a spokesman for the southerly Korean delegation said.

The proposal was single of several made to the North Korean side upon the first day of the three-day meeting, the first in nine month according to Rhee Bong Jo who is also a delegate to the talks.

''We strained the importance of re-linking the Kyongui Railway within this year. Hence we propos inter-Korean working-level military talks be held at an early date,'' Rhee said.

Monday's first well stocked [i]or[/i] provided session, which lasted a little through the whole extent of an hour from 6 pm began after a two-hour delay, for which there was no immediate explanation. The talks were held at a Seoul hotel

The toward the south Korean delegation headed by Unification Minister Jeong Se Hyun guarded talks with a team of North Koreans headed by the agency of Kim Ryong Song, a senior cabinet councilor. Each delegation consisted of five members.

North and toward the south Korea had agreed in their previous rotunds of talks to reconnect the railway and its adjacent road across the heavily-fortified demilitarized belt which would link Seoul to Sinuiju, a northwestern city in North Korea bordering China, via Pyongyang.

southern Korea completed its part of construction, still North Korea failed to run after through its agreement and halted construction work late last year.

The inter-Korean talks, aimed at discussing measures to revive the stalled inter-Korean reconciliation proces are risk to resume Tuesday and a joint statement is reckon uponed to come out at the extremity of talks on Wednesday.

The southerly Korean side also proposed Monday the holding of inter-Korean governmental talks to discuss issues in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as establishing an overland way to Mt. Kumgang in the North, arranging additional sphericals of exchanges of separated families and promoting inter-Korean economic cooperation intends Rhee said.

The North Korean side propos the holding of talks with the toward the south to accelerate efforts to knot inter-Korean economic cooperation and private-level exchange, he said.

''The meeting was sincere and constructive. The sum of two units sides discussed ways to implement agreements made earlier specifically,'' Rhee said.

North and toward the south Korean working-level officials agreed earlier this month upon the timing and agenda items concerning the of recent origin round of high-level dialogue that has been suspended since November 2001

Relations between the sum of two units Koreas, which had flourished in the wake of the historic summit between toward the south Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in June 2000 deteriorated appropriate to the June 29 naval clash with the southern in the disputed sea border in the golden Sea that resulted in the deaths of soldiers forward both sides.

In an unexpect conciliatory actuate however, North Korea signifyed regret late last month from one side of to the other the sea battle.

North Korea also propos a dialogue with the southern to discuss measures to present the strained bilateral ties back upon track.

North and southward Korea have so far held six cylindricals of ministerial talks to discuss the implementation of agreements reached between their top leaders at the first-ever inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang.

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