North Korea and South Korea start first official talks in 2 years

South Korea Unification Minister Cho Myung-Gyun shakes hands with North Korean chief delegate Ri Son-Gwon during their meeting at the border truce village of Panmunjom.
(Image credit: Korea Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

Representatives from North and South Korea are now meeting in Panmunjom, a village in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), to discuss ways North Korea can participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics next month in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

These are the first talks between the countries in two years, and South Korea also said it hopes this meeting improves relations between the Koreas. "The people have a strong desire to see the North and South move toward peace and reconciliation," Seoul's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.