North Korean - South Korean Talks Collapse

Head of South Korean delegation for an inter-Korean working-level talks, Chun Hae-sung (L) shakes hands with his North Korean counterpart Kim Song-hye during their last conference wrapping up their 17 hour-negotiation at the Peace House on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone, north of Seoul June 10, 2013, in this handout provided by the Unification Ministry. REUTERS/Unification Ministry/Handout

Dialogue Between North and South Korea Collapses -- New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — An agreement between North and South Korea to hold high-level government talks this week collapsed in a last-minute dispute over who should lead their delegations, South Korean officials said Tuesday.

South Korea said that the talks, planned for Wednesday, were canceled but that it was still open to dialogue with the North. The meeting in Seoul would have been the first senior inter-Korean dialogue in six years.

The agreement had been seen as a clear sign that the two Koreas were easing tensions and moving toward a thaw after years of recriminations, which hit a peak this year when the North’s third nuclear test prompted broad international sanctions. The North responded with threats that it would launch nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States, its ally.

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More News On North - South Korean Talks Collapsing

South, North Korea talks called off after row over delegates -- Reuters
High-level North-South Korea talks called off -- AFP
North-South Korean High-Level Talks Canceled -- Voice of America
Seoul says planned talks with North Korea scrapped; sides couldn’t agree on negotiators -- Washington Post/AP
North and South Korea, unable to agree on attendees, put off planned talks -- Washington Post
South: High-level talks between Koreas called off -- CNN
North Korea cancels planned high-level talks with the South -- Deutsche Welle
North Korea cancels talks with Seoul -- The Australian
High-level Korea talks called off -- Sydney Morning Herald
North Korea Calls Off Talks on Industrial Zone, South Korea Says -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Koreas divided over lead negotiators for high-level talks -- Global Post/Yonhap News