The Korean Demilitarized Zone, in reality one of the most-heavily fortified borders on the planet, divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, and is a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a cease-fire, rather than a formal peace treaty.
The agency quoted South Korea's Defense Ministry as saying that the two sides fixed the date for the meeting during a working-level meeting in the border "truce village" of Panmunjom.
However, commenting on the agenda for the talks between South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo and his counterpart Kim Il-chol, the ministry merely said that "the two sides have agreed to discuss military measures to implement the Declaration for Development of North-South Relations and Peace and Prosperity".
In the declaration, signed by the countries' leaders at last month's summit in the North Korean capital, President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il outlined ways to reduce tensions. Measures proposed included the creation of a joint fishing zone and a border peace zone in the West Sea, near the so-called Northern Limit Line, the scene of small-scale clashes between the two states in 1999 and 2002.
The signing of any formal peace treaty between the two countries would require the participation of the United States and China, which were also involved in the 1950-53 conflict. The U.S. has so far been reluctant to discuss the issue until the communist North fully discontinues its nuclear program.
