2010-07-19 16:24

SEOUL - The US-led United Nations Command and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are holding another meeting on Tuesday before general-level talks over the sinking of a South Korean warship, news reports said Monday, citing UNC officials.

More talks have been expected to come following last week's working-level meeting in the truce village of Panmunjom involving colonel-level military officers from the both sides.

Details of the 90-minute talks have not been officially released, but local news reports said the DPRK insisted on sending its own probe team to investigate the sinking, which killed 46 South Korean sailors. The UNC, on the other hand, believes the issue should be addressed within the framework of the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

The second round of colonel-level meeting comes as Seoul and Washington are set to hold so-called "two plus two" security talks, which will bring together US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and Defense Minister Kim Tae-young.

As part of a trust-building measure, the command and the DPRK have held 16 general-level talks since 1998, and the latest round was held in March 2009.