South Korea rejects North Korea’s call to bring military talks forward

SEOUL - South Korea has rejected a proposal by North Korea to bring forward military talks by 10 days, saying it was not enough time to prepare for their first dialogue since the latter’s shelling of a border island last year.

Pyongyang sent a message to Seoul at the weekend calling for the preliminary talks, which Seoul has suggested take place at the Panmunjom truce village on February 11, to start on Tuesday.

According to the China Daily, it was not immediately clear why North Korea wanted an earlier date.

Talks at the military and political level between the neighbors are routinely set after proposals and counterproposals as the two sides vie for higher bargaining positions and rarely break down over scheduling conflicts. (ANI)