North and South Korea started the second day of high-level talks at a North Korean border town on Saturday, a promising sign of reconciliation efforts after stepping away from a military standoff in August. While the Koreas often have difficulty agreeing on talks, once they do, overlong sessions are common. Hwang Boogi, South Korea's vice minister of unification and the head negotiator of the meetings in Kaesong, said the discussions could reconvene on Saturday.
The talks stretched late into the night on Friday before the two sides decided to extend them, AP reported.
South Korean officials want to discuss more reunions between aging family members separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. Analysts have said cash-strapped North Korea might seek the South's commitment to restart joint tours to its scenic Diamond Mountain resort, which were suspended by Seoul in 2008 following the shooting death of a South Korean tourist there by a North Korean soldier.
Expectations for the meeting dropped last month when both sides in preparatory negotiations settled for a meeting at the vice ministerial level. This likely ruled out discussions on more important issues.
