Koreas Attempt to Revive Dialogue

South and North Korea began talks Friday aimed at reviving their stalled dialogue, but the rivals were still haggling over who was to blame for a deadly naval skirmish in June.

A five-member Southern delegation headed for the three-day discussions at the Mt. Kumgang resort on North Korea’s east coast. It is led by Lee Bong Jo, the chief policymaker of the Unification Ministry.

Both sides met informally Friday ahead of official talks today, said reports by South Korean journalists accompanying the officials.

The June 29 naval clash near the Koreas’ disputed western sea border is a potential stumbling block, as South Korea has vowed to extract promises from the North to punish those responsible for the skirmish and to refrain from similar provocations.

The clash, near the Koreas’ disputed western sea border, sank one South Korean warship, killing four sailors. North Korea did not confirm the South’s estimate that 13 Northern sailors were killed.

Last week, North Korea expressed regret over the incident and offered to resume dialogue with Seoul and its key ally, the United States.

Also Friday, the North Korean military proposed a meeting with the American-led U.N. command at the border village of Panmunjom early next week.

The U.N. command has requested such a meeting to protest the naval skirmish.

But North Korea says it has never accepted the sea border drawn by the U.N. command. It was expected to demand that a new border be drawn.

The weekend meeting aims to set up Cabinet-level talks, which ended in finger-pointing in November.