MOSCOW, October 26 (RIA Novosti) - The North and South Korean heads of government will meet November 14-16 in Seoul, the Yonhap news agency said Friday.
The agency said North Korea's premier Kim Yong-il and his South Korean counterpart Han Duck-soo will discuss further rapprochement and economic cooperation, adding the agenda and delegation lineup has yet to be agreed.
The leaders of North and South Koreas reached an agreement in early October to review legislation in a bid to advance bilateral relations and reunification.
The South Korean law on national security has so far prevented potential bilateral contacts and mutual trust, and describes North Korea as "an anti-government organization." Under the same law, unsanctioned contacts and any praise of Pyongyang are considered a crime.
South Korea has also insisted that the North's Workers' Party should amend its program, which urges "a South Korean revolution" and labels the South "a colony of American imperialism." But in order to amend the program, North Korea needs to hold a party congress, which has not been held since October 1980.
The efforts, however, could face difficulties in Seoul. An attempt by the ruling South Korean Uri party to consider amendments to the law on national security in 2004 was met with a powerful wave of opposition from anti-Pyongyang protestors.
Latest reports said Russia welcomed the two Koreas' decision to hold the prime ministerial meeting, the first in 16 years.
"The decision to hold a meeting between the North and South Korean prime ministers demonstrates the two Koreas' commitment to implementing agreements reached at the Korean summit in Pyongyang earlier this month," said Andrei Krivtsov, a senior official at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The North and South Korean leaders agreed to ease tension and boost economic cooperation at "the second-ever inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang on October 2-4," Yonhap said. "Their accords include such landmark measures as creating a joint fishing area in the West Sea and holding regional talks to officially end the Korean War. The Koreas technically remain in a state of war since the 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty."
