Koreas to restore regular cross-border traffic

Source: Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea — Regular traffic across the heavily fortified border dividing North and South Korea will be restored this week, officials in Seoul said Monday amid further signs of improved relations between the two nations.

The North's state radio station, meanwhile, quoted leader Kim Jong Il as saying that the U.S. should abandon its "hostile policy" toward the North and sign a peace treaty with the communist nation to reduce tension on the peninsula. His comments echoed statements he has made in the past. Pyongyang Radio didn't say when Kim made the remarks.

The U.S. fought with South Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in an armistice, leaving the North and South still technically at war. About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea as deterrence against the North.

The resumption of regular border traffic between North and South Korea, set for Tuesday, is the latest indication of efforts by Pyongyang to reach out to Seoul and Washington, after months of provocations that included nuclear and missile tests.

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The strange thing about the ROK/DPRK relationship is both countries WANT to reunify. The only problem is, Pyongyang wants the South to be communist and Seoul wants the North to be democratic. What might save them once and for all is Kim, Jong Il is on his last legs, so when he dies the remaining government may be amenable to reunifying on the South's terms. KJI's minions certainly know how dire the situation in the DPRK is, even if KJI himself doesn't seem to care.