Koreas agree to change place for Cabinet-level talks

The two Koreas have agreed to change the venue of Cabinet-level talks scheduled for later this month to the North's capital, Pyongyang, the South's Unification Ministry said Thursday.

The Sept. 13-16 talks had originally been scheduled to take place at North Korea's Mount Paektu, which is the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula and lies in the northern part of the country near its border with China.

On Tuesday, North Korea proposed changing the venue, citing difficulties in preparing to host the meeting at the mountain, including slow progress in paving runways at a nearby airport, said the South's Unification Ministry spokeswoman Yang Jeong-hwa.

The South accepted the proposal on Thursday, Yang said, adding that the dates will remain the same.

The Cabinet-level talks are the highest-level of dialogue channel between the two Koreas, reports the AP.