Civilian experts from South and North Korea may meet this week to continue their talks over joint research into an active volcano extolled in the North as the scared birthplace of leader Kim Jong-il, government sources said Sunday.
Scientists from the two sides met in the western border town of Munsan on Tuesday to discuss joint research on volcanic activities at
Mount Paekdu, the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, in a rare bit of cooperation amid strained inter-Korean relations due to
unprecedented provocations from the North.
During the first meeting, representatives from the North proposed to have the next round of meetings in early April to talk in more detail about research opportunities. Seoul officials said they will quickly review the offer.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the Unification Ministry, which oversees inter-Korean affairs, is considering holding the second round of talks as early as late this week.
While the specific date or place has not been confirmed, the North's eastern border village of Kaesong is the likely venue, the source said.
A joint industrial park in Kaesong, a collaborative economic development between the two sides, provides tens of millions of dollars for the cash-strapped North annually.
Pyongyang first proposed the meeting in mid-March with rising fears of natural disasters after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and ensuing
tsunami on March 11 sparked a nuclear crisis in Japan.
Experts have warned that an eruption at Mount Paekdu would cause political and economic chaos, even disrupting the stability of the communist regime in Pyongyang. The volcano last erupted in 1903, but minor earthquakes increased there between 2002 and 2005.
South and North Korea remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce instead of a peace treaty.