No North-South Korea rail-link yet

The authorities in South Korea say North Korea has rejected an offer for talks to discuss resuming work on a rail-link connecting the two countries.

A defence ministry spokesman said South Korea had proposed that the two sides meet in the border village on Panmunjon on Tuesday.

But the North Korean military said they would take up the matter in May, when ministers from the two countries are due to meet at an economic conference.

The cross-border railway line was a key part of an agreement reached between the South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at a summit two years ago. The rail-link, connecting the capitals Seoul and Pyongyang, was cut-off 50 years ago.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service