By RIA Novosti
Seoul : Prime ministers of South and North Korea started talks Wednesday in Seoul, the first in 15 years, which are expected to lead to reconciliation and closer economic cooperation between the two countries.
North Korean premier Kim Yong-il and his South Korean counterpart Han Duck-soo are expected to discuss economic programmes, including a railway link, creation of a fishing zone, shipbuilding projects and the joint use of ports.
The North and South Korean presidents met in early October for the second inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, signing a historic joint declaration pledging a commitment to peace talks and a range of economic ties.
The improvement in relations between the two countries has also been aided by progress at six-party talks held in October involving South and North Korea, China, the US, Russia and Japan, when Pyongyang agreed to disable its Yongbyon reactor by the end of the year.
The six governments involved in the negotiations with Pyongyang pledged to deliver fuel and equipment in exchange for the shut down of North Korea’s nuclear facilities.
The two Koreas have been technically at war since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Any formal peace treaty would require the participation of the US and China, which were also involved in the conflict. The US has so far been reluctant to discuss a peace treaty until the North discontinues its nuclear programme fully.