Two Koreas abruptly end military talks

The preliminary military talks between North and South Korea failed Wednesday to reach an agreement on the agenda for high-level talks, as both sides struggled to settle differences.

South Korea's defense ministry said the talks broke down when the North's delegation walked out. "Under the current situation, we can say the talks have collapsed," a ministry spokesman said.

The two days of colonel-level military talks were designed to ease the tensions between the two sides, and to set an agenda for the high-level military talks.

However, it instead turned into South Korea insisting on an apology from the North regarding two attacks last year, including the North's admitted shelling of Yeonpyeong Island and an attack on a South Korean warship that the North denies being responsible for.

The South's chief delegate, Colonel Moon Sang-gyun, told reporters that the North had described the warship allegations as a plot instigated by the US to justify a policy of confrontation on the peninsula.

The North also repeated earlier claims that the Yeonpyeong bombardment was the result of provocations by the South.

Earlier Wednesday, the South agreed in principle to hold separate Red Cross talks on reunions for families separated since the 1950-53 war. But the unification ministry later said they could not resume.

AFP