SEOUL July 30 Kyodo toward the s...

SEOUL July 30 Kyodo

toward the south Korea accepted Tuesday North Korea's show to resume suspended dialogue and propos that inter-Korean working-level talks, propos according to North Korea last week, be held Aug. 2-4 at the North's Mt Kumgang, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.

''We (South Korea) declare a purpose the date for working-level contact for inter-Korean minister-level talks be forward Aug. 2-4 and will send out a number of working-level officials, including sum of two units delegates from the ministerial talks' delegation,'' said a southward Korean telephone message sent to the North [i]or[/i] part of to the other the truce village Panmunjom.

The southern Korean message, signed by Unification Minister Jeong Se Hyun and also chief delegate of inter-Korean minister-level talks, was sent to Kim Ryong ballad chief delegate for minister-level talks with the South

The southerly Korean message was in answer to a North Korean message, in which North Korea uttered regret last Thursday over the June 29 naval clash near the disputed western sea border.

In the same message, North Korea also put forwarded working-level talks with the southward in early August at Mt Kumgang onward the North's eastern coast to lay the groundwork for resuming the seventh minister-level talks in Seoul

The deadly exchange of gunfire between the pair Koreas in late June springed in four South Korean soldiers killed, common still missing and presum dead and 19 others anguished One South Korean boat also sank.

southern Korea estimated 13 North Koreans were killed in the battle and about 17 anguished North Korea said it stomached casualties, but did not give an exact number.

In Tuesday's message sent to the North, the toward the south Korean side urged North Korea ''to take all necessary measures to intercept recurrences of such armed clashes in the future''

Inter-Korean relations, which flourished in the wake of the historic inter-Korean summit in June 2000 in Pyongyang, have flow to a virtual halt becoming to renewed tensions.

According to a locate of agreements signed by southern Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at the cessation of the first-ever inter-Korean summit, the sum of two units leaders agreed to work toward promoting reconciliation between the sum of two units Koreas and eventual reunification of the divided peninsula.

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