South Korea turns off cross-border speakers as part of deal

The joint accord, signed by the two countries on Tuesday, includes a guarantee from Seoul to turn off loudspeakers blasting high-decibel propaganda across the North Korean border, in light of Pyongyang having “expressed regret” at the maiming of two South Korean soldiers injured in mine blasts.

The negotiators apparently broke their impasse with a compromise in which North Korea expressed its “regrets” for the mine explosions without explicitly acknowledging responsibility for them.

Pyongyang will also lift its quasi-state of war, imposed after the two Koreas’ exchange of artillery fire amid heightened tensions.

On Saturday, the two Koreas’ envoys began talks on the border crisis following tensions that saw an exchange of fire, a land mine explosion in the demilitarized border zone and S. Korea’s “propaganda broadcasts.”

North Korea agreed to end the state of war it declared when the South rejected its ultimatum to stop the broadcasts. “Otherwise, this government will take the appropriate steps and continue its loudspeaker broadcasts”, said Park at a meeting of her top aides.

Both sides began rolling back heightened military postures at noon (0300 GMT), Seoul’s defence ministry said.

The high-level talks took place against the backdrop of annual U.S.-South Korean Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercises.

At one point the North apparently agreed to the wording of the statement but then came up with a new set of demands Kim reviewed the agreement. There have also been comparatively minor sources of conflict, such as South Korean activists distribution ofanti-North leaflets and the suspension of South Korean tours to Mount Kumgang in the North.

Kim Kwan-Jin also noted that the South’s commitment to ending the broadcasts was conditional on the absence of any “abnormal” events – an apparent reference to future North Korean provocations. A poll conducted last week by Realmeter showed that her rating has risen to 41 per cent, up from 39.9 per cent the previous week.

South Korea’s National Security Adviser Kim Kwan-jin said numerous challenges had to be overcome during four days of tough negotiations with North Korea, but patience and adherence to principle eventually led to a landmark agreement to end recent tensions. They were adjourned for a bit Sunday morning, but resumed in the afternoon. Hwang is considered by outside analysts to be North Korea’s second most important official after supreme leader Kim Jong Un.

Both countries also promised they would hold meetings in a capital of theirs that is still undetermined.

“I think it is a win-win”.

Adding to the uncertain backdrop of the talks, North Korea doubled its artillery forces on the front lines and 70% of its submarine units left their bases, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said.

“I see this is as yet another of the small cycles of the skirmishes that we see between North and South Korea that just happens in depressing regularity”, said professor David Kang of the University of Southern California’s Korean Studies Institute.