SEOUL, May 16 (UPI) -- Military officials from North and South Korea met Wednesday to discuss measures to reduce tensions across the heavily-armed border.
But the first day of talks ended with no progress, due to differences over the controversial western sea border in which the two Koreas traded naval gunfire, causing dozens of casualties on both sides, years ago.
"We only confirmed that the sides have differences in positions," Col. Moon Seong-mook, a member of the South Korean delegation, told reporters after the talks held at the border village of Panmunjom.
The general-level officers also discussed safety measures for yet-to-be-opened inter-Korean railways through which former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung plans to travel to North Korea to seek a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations and the nuclear standoff.
But the North Korean military remain reluctant to sign an agreement on train operations, as they are concerned about possible leaks of military information, officials said.
The sides will also discuss the establishment of hotlines between their militaries and the zoning of joint fishing areas as ways to reduce tension along the sea border during the three-day talks that end Thursday.
