North and South Korea agree on peaceful resolution of nuclear standoff

The two Koreas agreed Thursday to seek a peaceful resolution to the North's nuclear standoff with the US, but failed to set a date for stalled disarmament talks to resume, reports AP.

North Korea has stalled arms talks for a year, because of "unfriendly" U.S. policies. According to the Associated Press, the top delegates from North and South appeared side-by-side at a news conference after their negotiations, a departure from previous high-level talks that normally ended with the issuing of a written statement.

In Pyongyang last week, Kim told South Korean visitors that he would comply with a 1992 inter-Korean agreement to keep the peninsula nuclear free because it was the last will of the late leader. North Korea's chief negotiator, Kwon Ho Ung, said his nation would press ahead with efforts toward inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation, informs UPI.

Earlier Thursday, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun urged a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue soon at a meeting with North Korean chief Cabinet counselor Kwon Ho Ung, head of Pyongyang's delegation, Roh's spokesman Kim Man-soo said. The next round of Cabinet-level talks was set for Sept. 13-16 at the North's Mount Paektu, and another session was planned for December in South Korea.