Door to peace between two Koreas must open wider
First talks in two years between Seoul and Pyongyang offer hope and go beyond next month’s Winter Olympics; every effort should be made to further thaw relations
The positive atmosphere that permeated the talks between the two Koreas on Tuesday is what the peninsula and region need in such tense times.
Negotiations were amicable, even friendly, with the sides obviously intent on making progress. They agreed to the participation of North Korea in the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang next month, to resume military consultations and resolve problems through dialogue.
These are small, but important steps in creating solid foundations necessary to ensure a sustained thaw in relations.
Ties between the Koreas are cold and both delegations were well aware of the challenges. But relations are not so frozen that delegates were unable to make light of circumstances, with remarks about how appropriate it was that the weather outside the meeting room in the border truce village of Panmunjeom was so frigid.
There was also an understanding of the need to move forward and the result was constructive dialogue that augers well for promised future talks on wider issues. They would be given a considerable boost should the teams of the two Koreas symbolically appear at the opening ceremony of the Games under the unification flag, as happened in 2000 at the Sydney Summer Olympics.