Breakthrough : South and North Korea to start talking

The breakthrough came after North Korea said it was willing to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang

There is now hope for peace in the Korean peninsula.  This is because North Korea has just accepted an invitation for direct talks with South Korea.

South Korea's ministry for unification announced that it received a fax from North Korea accepting its invitation to meet next Tuesday in Panmunjom, the crossing point on the tense border between the two countries. 

This will be the first direct meeting between the two governments for over two years.  It also comes after months of North Korean nuclear and missile tests, increased international sanctions and threats of military action by the United States.

The fax containing North Korea’s acceptance was addressed to the South Korean unification minister, Cho Myong-gyon, and signed by his counterpart, Ri Son-kwon, chairman of the North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.

The talks will focus on the details of North Korean participation in the Winter Olympics, which South Korea will host next month in the Pyeongchang region. The hope is that if a North Korean delegation participates in a successful and harmonious games it will pave the way for an overall easing of tension. 

This surprising development emerged from a New Year’s Day speech by the North Korean supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, in which he boasted of his country’s ability to retaliate against American attack with nuclear weapons.  He also spoke of his willingness to send a delegation to the Pyeongchang Games and his wish to improve relations with the South.  The South has now seized on Kim's willingness to play ball.