DPRK accepts ROK's dialogue offer

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) accepted the Republic of Korea's dialogue offer in principle, but both sides are negotiating about the remaining disagreements over the venues and visitors, a local broadcaster YTN reported on Thursday.

Pyongyang agreed "in principle" to hold working-level talks proposed by Seoul earlier in the day, but both sides showed differences over where the dialogue should be held, unidentified officials at the Ministry of Unification was quoted by YTN as saying.

The ROK's Unification Ministry proposed working-level talks with the DPRK on Saturday at the truce village of Panmunjeom,but Pyongyang made a counterproposal to hold such talks at the DPRK's border town of Kaesong.

Seoul made a counteroffer of holding the talks at inter-Korean transit offices, the broadcaster reported.

Seoul's dialogue offer came just a day after Pyongyang allowed the ROK's businessmen to visit the Kaesong industrial zone to help them maintain their factories.

The DPRK said that if South Korea notifies it of when the visit will take place, Pyongyang will take necessary steps related to cross-border passage and communications.

Pyongyang's permission came after some ROK's companies running factories at Kaesong asked the South Korean government to help them relocate facilities back to Seoul or other foreign countries.

Pyongyang shut down the industrial park in early April, pulling out its 53,000 workers. Seoul also withdrew its personnel after the DPRK rejected working-level talks.

The two sides sought to hold their first high-level official talks in six years in June, but the scheduled dialogue was called off abruptly due to dispute over the ranks of chief delegates.