남북간 군사합의 이행에 차질... 北, 유해발굴•군사회담에 '무응답'

There is still no response from North Korea over South Korea's proposal to hold military talks and to start recovering the remains of those killed during the Korean War.
This is in stark contrast to last year,... when the two Koreas took actions to lower military tensions after signing a military agreement in September.
Oh Jung-hee tells us more.
Inter-Korean military cooperation has stalled... as North Korea remains unresponsive.
Starting April 1st, Seoul and Pyeongyang were to begin working together to recover the remains of the war dead in the demilitarized zone in Cheorwon, Gangwon-do Province,... following the agreement made at the September inter-Korean summit.
Earlier this month, Seoul notified Pyeongyang that it has formed an excavation team,... but the North is yet to respond.
With only three more days to go until April, there are even reports... that if the North doesn't reply, the South may begin the DMZ excavation work alone.
When asked whether that will happen, Seoul's defense ministry said:
"We are considering various options right now, and we will let you know when things are decided."
The two Koreas had also agreed to allow civilian ships to navigate along the Hangang River estuary on a trial basis from next month.
But it seems the schedule for that will also need to be changed.
To discuss these two issues, Seoul suggested holding military talks this month... but the North hasn't replied.
It was on the military front that the two Koreas made the most progress last year after the September summit.
They've removed frontline guard posts, disarmed the Joint Security Area of Panmunjeom,... and together surveyed the waterways of the Hangang River estuary.
But this year, the North has been lukewarm,... focusing more on its summit with the U.S.
And with no response from Pyeongyang on Seoul's proposals,... how the two Koreas can proceed with the plans they've made based on the military agreement is shrouded in uncertainty.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.