韓國接受朝鮮舉行談判的建議

South Korea has accepted an offer by the North to hold official talks, in a sign that tensions continue to cool following weeks of deteriorating relations on the Korean peninsula.

Pyongyang's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea unexpectedly offered Thursday to hold talks on a pair of stalled joint commercial projects. It also suggested talks were possible on humanitarian issues.

Seoul's unification ministry quickly accepted the offer, saying it hopes the talks can help build trust between the two neighbors. It said it will soon announce the date, agenda, and other details of the discussions.

The South had previously said it was open to working-level talks, but was reluctant to commit to wide-ranging discussions unless the North agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons program.韓國接受了朝鮮有關舉行正式會談的建議，顯示朝鮮半島南北雙方的關係在持續數星期惡化之後，繼續呈現緩和跡象。

星期四，平壤的祖國和平統一委員會出人意料地建議雙方就兩個陷於停滯狀態的商業項目舉行會談，並提出就人道問題舉行會談的可能性。

韓國統一部迅速表示接受朝鮮方面的建議，並表示希望會談有助於建立彼此間的信任。韓國統一部說，將很快宣佈會談的日期、日程以及其他有關細節。

韓國曾經表示，願意舉行工作級別的會談，但除非朝鮮同意放棄其核武器項目，否則就不承諾進行範圍廣泛的討論。