North and South Korea edge away from war with peace deal

A deal has been signed between North and South Korea to reduce tension on border, media reported on Tuesday.

Kim described North Korea’s expression of regret for the mine blasts as “very meaningful” and said securing it had taken up most of the time in his negotiations with his North Korean counterpart Hwang Pyong-So – a close confidant of leader Kim Jong-Un.

While not an acknowledgement of responsibility, let alone the “definite apology” South Korea’s president had demanded, it allows Seoul to claim some measure of victory in holding the North to account. Reports further indicate that North Korea and South Korea have agreed to initiate follow up talks to discuss a range of issues to improve ties.

North Korea has also reportedly pledged to end a “semi-state of war,” while South Korea will stop its border broadcasts at noon Tuesday if no abnormal situations occur in the near future.

Last week on Thursday, the confrontation got so heated that Seoul fired dozens of artillery rounds across the border in response to what it said was North Korean artillery strikes aimed at attacking the loudspeakers.

South Korea will also carry out its two upcoming joint military exercises with the U.S., including Ulchi Freedom Guardian, as planned despite North Korea’s criticism, the spokesman said.

“South Korea just said we are not taking this anymore”.

Days later, the South began blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda from loudspeakers along the border, reviving a tactic that both sides had halted in 2004.

The accord, which brought the two Koreas back from the verge of conflict, was welcomed by South Korea’s ally the United States, and by the United Nations, which has imposed strict sanctions on North Korea over Pyongyang’s repeated nuclear and missile tests. On the prolonged talks, the former defense minister said the two sides had initially had wide differences on the land mine incident but that the South insisted on drawing out a promise from the North that such provocations would not recur.

“What’s important now is to carry forward specific projects agreed by South and North smoothly through follow-up talks so as to ease tensions between South and North”, Park’s presidential office quoted her as saying.

“As long as no unusual events take place, we believe it is possible to achieve multiple goals”, Kim said, according to South Korean newspaper Donga Ilbo.

The landmine incident, in the two South Korean soldiers lost their legs, led to the South switching on its propaganda speakers for the first time in 11 years in retaliation.

Meanwhile, the US State Department says it is closely watching developments in the region.

“It seems that the North is pursuing dialogue on one side and preparing for battle on another side”, he said. A six-point agreement was reached after 43 hours of marathon talks. The standoff exacerbated the turmoil in South Korea’s financial markets.