No détente as North Korea show reluctance to talk

CABINET-level talks between North and South Korea will not open as planned, South Korean officials said, explaining that Pyongyang had cut off all contact with Seoul regarding the meeting.

South Korean officials were reluctant to pronounce that the four-day meeting had been officially cancelled or even postponed without receiving confirmation from North Korea.

“We can say that the talks will not be held as scheduled,” a Unification Ministry spokesman said. “We are not sure whether North Korea wants to cancel them or postpone them. So we may know more about that after contacting the North Korean side.”