Koreas Agree in Principle to More Family Reunions

South and North Korea agreed in principle Wednesday to allow more reunions of long-separated families and take other steps toward burying decades of animosity on their divided peninsula, reports said.

In a new round of Cabinet-level talks that opened in Pyongyang, the North’s capital, South Korea made a series of proposals aimed at easing tension between the sides.

The two were still trying to narrow differences over a South Korean proposal to open a military hotline and a regular channel of dialogue between military leaders, according to pool reports from South Korean media.

But the nations agreed in principle to allow two or three more rounds of reunions by the end of the year of family members separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. Earlier this month, South and North Korea each sent 100 people to the other’s capital for three-day reunions with relatives.

The two sides will also start talks to reach accords on investment and taxation, the reports said.

The pool reports said no accords were likely to be signed until today, when the Southern officials were expected to meet the North’s leader, Kim Jong Il, and hold further talks with their Northern counterparts.

A 30-member South Korean delegation and 10 journalists flew to Pyongyang on Tuesday for the meetings. The talks are aimed at following up on a historic June summit of the nations’ leaders.