Fresh hope of talks between North and South korea.

Top South Korea security officials talk nuclear in North

The most senior South Korean officials to travel to the North in decades are seeking to ease nuclear tensions with the US. The delegation became the first to meet Kim Jong Un since the leader took office in 2011.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosted a dinner Monday for a group of South Korea's top security officials, according to reports by the Yonhap news agency. The envoys traveled to North Korea looking to pave the way for talks between the nuclear-armed North and the United States.
It is the first time Kim has met with South Korean officials.
The 10-member delegation is made up of five senior officials, including national security advisor Chung Eui-yong and spy chief Suh Hoon, and five supporting officials. The group is due to return to Seoul on Tuesday.
"We plan to hold in-depth discussions for ways to continue not only inter-Korean talks but dialogue between North Korea and the international community including the United States," said Chung, who is leading the delegation.
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The visit follows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister's landmark trip to the South in February for the Winter Olympics, where the North and South marched side-by-side under a unified flag at the opening ceremony.
Kim Yo Jong invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in to a summit in Pyongyang on her brother's behalf, but Moon did not immediately accept, saying the right conditions were needed.

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  ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength

  Major achievement

  In early June 2017, North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. Testing an ICBM marked a major military achievement for Pyongyang and a serious escalation of tensions with the United States and its allies in the region, particularly South Korea and Japan.
  

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Passing on the message
"We will deliver President Moon's firm resolution to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and to create sincere and lasting peace," Chung told reporters before his departure.
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Moon used the Pyeongchang Games to start a dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang with the aim of easing tensions around nuclear arms that have heightened fears over global security.
Following the talks, the South Korean delegation is due to fly to Washington to relay the details from the meeting.