Rival Koreas set for talks to reduce military tensions and reunite families

North and South Korea have agreed to hold military and Red Cross talks later this month aimed at reducing tensions and resuming the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

During a meeting of senior officials at the border village of Panmunjom, the North and South also agreed to establish a liaison office at the town of Kaesong, and to discuss fielding combined sports teams at the Asian Games in August, as they continue to take steps toward reconciliation.

South Korea said building trust with North Korea is crucial amid a US-led diplomatic push to persuade the North to give up its nuclear weapons.

American delegations are also meeting with North Koreans at Panmunjom and in Singapore as part of efforts to plan the summit, which may take place June 12 in Singapore.

South Korea’s unification ministry said the Koreas agreed to set up the liaison office at a factory park in Kaesong that had been jointly operated by the countries until the South shut it down in February 2016 after a North Korean nuclear test.

The talks between sports officials are set for June 18 at Panmunjom, the ministry said.

South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said after the meeting: “If we continue to engage with each other like we did today, there will be no problem that can’t be solved between the South and North.”

Panmunjom has also been the site of pre-summit negotiations between American and North Korean officials. The American delegation is led by Sung Kim, the US ambassador to Manila, who said on Friday that a meeting between Washington and Pyongyang would provide an opportunity to “lead our two countries into new era of security, prosperity and peace”.

Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the North Korean agency that deals with inter-Korean affairs, told Mr Cho at the start of the meeting that the rivals should work on building “trust and consideration for each other” to carry out the agreements forged at the recent inter-Korean summits.

When Mr Moon and Mr Kim met for their first summit at Panmunjom in April 27, they spoke of vague aspirations for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and permanent peace, which Seoul has tried to sell as a meaningful breakthrough that increases the chances of successful nuclear negotiations between Mr Trump and Mr Kim.

But relations chilled when North Korea cancelled an inter-Korean meeting and threatened to walk away from the summit with Mr Trump because of the South’s participation in regular military exercises with the United States, as well as comments from American officials. Mr Trump cancelled the summit, then said it may still take place, shortly before Mr Kim and Mr Moon met again and agreed to resume high-level talks between their countries.

Talking to South Korean reporters ahead of Friday’s meeting, Mr Ri seemed irritated when asked whether North Korea sees its grievances as resolved, saying reporters must ask questions that “meet the demand of changing times”.

When asked about the potential Trump-Kim meeting, Mr Ri replied: “Go fly to Singapore to ask that question. This is Panmunjom.”