South Korea agrees to resume talks

South Korea has been on alert since the naval clash

South Korea has accepted a North Korean proposal to resume talks on the divided peninsula.

The South Korean Unification Ministry says it wants to hold preliminary discussions this week to prepare for ministerial-level contact in Seoul.

We call on you to take all necessary measures to prevent a repeat of the armed clash

South Korean Unification Minister Jeong Se-Hyun

The invitation to resume dialogue was made last week, when North Korea expressed regret over a naval clash a month ago, in which at least four South Korean sailors and an unknown number of North Koreans died.

Unification Minister Jeong Se-Hyun said that both should make efforts to avoid similar events in the future.

"We call on you to take all necessary measures to prevent a repeat of the armed clash and similar tragic incidents in the future," Mr Jeong said in a message sent to his North Korean counterpart, Kim Ryong-Song.

The preliminary talks will be held from Friday until Sunday at North Korea's Mount Kumgang resort, the venue proposed by Pyongyang.

Change of heart

The North's apology appeared to reverse earlier brinkmanship over last month's maritime skirmish in the Yellow Sea, which the Stalinist country blamed on Seoul and the United States.

In a further hint of diplomatic softening, North Korea's Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun is set to meet his Japanese counterpart on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Brunei, which starts on Friday, according to both sides' foreign ministries.

	Northern Limit Line Declared by UN in 1953 Not recognised by North Regularly breached by North's navy See also: Unresolved conflict

It would be the first such high-level meeting between the countries in two years.

The agenda for the inter-Korean talks would include a North-South railway link and the issue of families separated during the Korean War.

The softening came in stark contrast to a warning from the North Korean Foreign Ministry last week. The ministry said there could be further naval clashes unless what it views as an illegal border known as the Northern Limit Line is abolished.

Pyongyang has appeared to soften its stance on the 29 June naval clash before, only to revert to threats days later.

On 4 July, the North said it wanted to reduce tension and hold bilateral talks, but days later it was accusing the South of infiltrating its waters and told Seoul it must be informed of the South's plans to salvage the boat lost in the battle.