Seoul, Pyongyang hold general-level military talks

South Korea and North Korea held general-level military negotiations to discuss measures to ease tensions in border areas as part of an agreement reached at an inter-Korean summit in April, local media reported on Tuesday.

According to the Yonhap news agency, the meeting took place at the Peace House in the truce village of Panmunjom.

South Korea's delegation comprised of five members was led by Maj. Gen. Kim Do-gyun, while North Korea was represented by Lt. Gen. An Ik-san, as the talks lasted for about 50 minutes.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met for the historic summit in late April. The two Koreas agreed to cease all hostile acts against each other.

Last week, US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choi Hyun met to discuss joint efforts to ensure North Korea's denuclearization.

Kim met with US President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12, where the two leaders issued an agreement that requires Pyongyang to denuclearize in exchange for a freeze of the US-South Korean military drills and eventual sanctions relief.

However, US Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats doubted earlier Pyongyang's technical capacity to destroy all of its nuclear arsenal within a short period of time.

EA