2 Koreas hold high-level talks; 1st in 2 years

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Top South and North Korean officials in charge of inter-Korean relations opened talks today for the first time in nearly two years amid a series of conciliatory moves by North Korea after months of tensions on the divided peninsula.

Unification Minister Hyun In-taek met visiting North Korean spy chief Kim Yang Gon, who also handles inter-Korean affairs, ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said. She did not give further details.

The last time officials responsible for inter-Korean affairs met was for several days from late November to early December of 2007 during the administration of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun.

"I would like to talk inter-Korean" issues, Hyun told reporters before he entered a hotel conference room for discussions with his North Korean counterpart, Yonhap news agency reported.

But he sounded cautious about whether the North Korean delegation would make a courtesy call to President Lee Myung-bak, whose hard-line policy toward the communist regime soured bilateral relations.

The talks came a day after Kim and five other senior North Koreans flew to Seoul to pay their respects to the late Kim Dae-jung, a former South Korean president beloved on both sides of the border for his pursuit of closer ties between the divided states.