YONHAP NEWS

(LEAD) Koreas held secret gov't talks last week: source

SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- Ranking officials of the two Koreas held a secret meeting in North Korea's border town of Kaesong last week, an informed government source said Wednesday.

   "A senior official of Seoul's Unification Ministry met with his North Korean counterpart in Kaesong on Nov. 7 for discussions on pending inter-Korean issues," said the source, asking to remain anonymous.

   At the Kaesong meeting, the two Koreas are believed to have exchanged views on a long list of pending issues, including North Korea's nuclear problem, humanitarian aid shipments, reunions of separated families and the resumption of South Korean tourism programs in the North.

   Seoul recently offered to deliver 10,000 tons of corn, but Pyongyang has yet to respond.

   The latest talks raised speculation about the resumption of dialogue between the two Koreas following Washington's announcement of a plan to send Stephen Bosworth, special U.S. representative for North Korea policy, to Pyongyang by the end of this year.

   ycm@yna.co.kr
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