North Korea, South Korea agree to resume talks

Less than two months after North Korea rejected a proposal from Seoul to reopen high-level talks between the two countries, South Korea released a statement on Saturday announcing a new round of upcoming discussions.

"Calling the upcoming talks a second round of dialogue, the North explained that it intended to hold more rounds of South-North talks in the future," the statement from South Korea's Ministry of National Unification said.

The New York Times notes that the reference to a "second round" of talks likely refers to a meeting earlier this year between officials from North and South Korea. Those February discussions led to a round of family reunions held at a North Korean resort for people who were separated by the Korean War's divisive fallout more than 60 years ago.

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The latest agreement seems to have been the result of a surprise visit by North Korean officials to the Asian Games' closing ceremony, in Incheon. The North's delegation included three trusted aides of Kim Jong Un, and the sides agreed to launch the new round of talks later in October or in early November.