Cautious optimism as South and North Korea prepare to meet

South and North Korea will hold talks on Tuesday at the truce village of Panmunjom by the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the two rivals, as optimism grows for an easing of tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

It’s the first time the two Koreas have talked since December 2015 and the pretext for the meeting of high-ranking officials is North Korea’s possible participation in the Winter Olympics, due to be held in the South Korean venue of Pyeongchang from February 9th to 25th.

"The main agenda items will include how to improve the two Koreas' relations including the Winter Games," Baik Tae-hyun, a spokesman for the unification ministry in Seoul, was quoted by the Yonhap news agency as saying.

There has been a broadly positive reaction from all the actors in the nuclear crisis about a possible easing of tensions, running high since North Korea tested a rocket it claims can carry a nuclear warhead to the US.

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South Korea has been busily working diplomatic channels with its local partners to find ways to end the standoff.

The country's president, Moon Jae-in, said improving inter-Korean relations should be accompanied by efforts to denuclearise North Korea, and he has stepped up efforts to boost co-ordination with major powers including China, the US and Japan.

“We are confident that South-North Korea dialogue helps create an atmosphere for dialogue between the US and North Korea on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue,” Mr Moon was quoted as saying.

Joint military exercises

The US and South Korea have agreed to suspend joint military exercises until after the games, which appears to have prompted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to say in his new year's message that he was willing to send a delegation to the games.

US president Donald Trump, who has exchanged insults with Mr Kim and boasted how his nuclear button is bigger than that of the North Korean leader, told reporters at Camp David at the weekend that he had no problem about talking to North Korea.

“Sure, I always believe in talking . . . but we have a very firm stance. Look, our stance, you know what it is. We’re very firm. But I would be, absolutely I would do that. I don’t have a problem with that at all,” he said.

He repeated, however, that he was “not messing around” when it came to taking a tough line on North Korea.

“[Kim] knows I’m not messing around . . . not even a little bit. Not even 1 per cent. He understands that. At the same time, if we can come up with a very peaceful and very good solution, we’re working on it . . . with a lot of people,” said Mr Trump.

China’s chief negotiator on North Korea’s nuclear programme, the deputy foreign minister Kong Xuanyou, described the meeting as a “positive” development. He was in Seoul on a two-day visit to meet Lee Do-hoon, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his Japanese counterpart

UN sanctions

“Currently, some positive things are unfolding with regard to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, though there are still complicated challenges,” Mr Kong said.

China is, somewhat unwillingly, at the centre of the Korean crisis, as the US tries to pressure it to do more about its erstwhile ally. Beijing, which has signed up for UN sanctions despite close links to North Korea, says it has little leverage.

Beijing wants to keep North Korea stable as it needs a buffer against US influence in the region and it also does not want an influx of refugees streaming across its borders.

Japan and South Korea will meet ahead of the talks in Seoul. Japan’s envoy on the issue, Kenji Kanasugi, will meet with Mr Lee on Monday.