South Korea and the North on Friday opened a joint liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong in the follow up to the agreement reached by the leaders of the two countries at their historic summit in April, media reported.
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2018) South Korea and the North on Friday opened a joint liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong in the follow up to the agreement reached by the leaders of the two countries at their historic summit in April, media reported.
South Korea's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and Ri Son-kwon, the chairman of North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, were present at the opening ceremony, according to Yonhap news agency.
"The inter-Korean joint liaison office is a channel for round-the-clock communication in the new era of peace. From today, South and North Korea can have direct consultations 24 hours a day and 365 days a year over issues relating to advances in inter-Korean relations, peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula," Cho said at the ceremony as quoted by the media outlet.
The two countries announced the opening of the bureau back in April, hoping that the move would facilitate civilian exchanges between the two countries. In August, the South Korean government said that the opening might be postponed amid US-North Korea tensions. However, the South Korean authorities decided that the opening of this office would not be in breach of the international sanctions against North Korea.
About 20 officials from South Korea and 15-20 people from North Korea will be employed in the liaison office, according to the publication. The meetings of co-chairs of the office will take place on a weekly basis.
