2 Koreas hold working-level military talks for the first time in 2 years

2 Koreas hold first military talks in 2 years

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says it has begun its first working-level military talks with North Korea in two years.

The Defense Ministry said Thursday that officers from the two sides are meeting in the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula. They last held such talks in October 2008.

The discussions came hours after Pyongyang vowed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent in response to what it called U.S. threats.