

North Korea has expressed regret over two South Korean border guards injured by a landmine blast and promised to make efforts to prevent a similar incident from happening again, according to South Korea's National Security Office Chief Kim Kwan-jin. The North also decided to withdraw its declaration of "quasi-state of war" against Seoul, he said.



In return, South Korea will turn off its frontline loudspeakers blaring anti-North messages from Tuesday noon on the condition that the North will not make any "abnormal" behavior.



The two Koreas also agreed to host the reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War in late September. A separate Red Cross talks will be held early September to organize the reunion meetings.



The two sides said they will hold an official meeting either in Seoul or Pyongyang in the near future to discuss exchanges.



The agreements came after nearly 40 hours of talks that started Saturday and was held at the truce village of Panmunjeom.



Kim and Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo sat down for the rare high-level dialogue with Pyongyang's Hwang Pyong-so, director of the general political department of the Korean People's Army and Kim Yang-gon, director of the United Front Department in charge of cross-border affairs to defuse tension. Tension on the Korean Peninsula reached a shrill level following the Aug. 4 landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone and last week's exchange of fire between the two Koreas.

The United States Monday welcomed a breakthrough deal and reiterated support for Seoul's efforts to improve ties with the communist North.

"The United State welcomes the agreement reached between the Republic of Korea and the DPRK earlier today. We support President Park's tireless efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, which support peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," State Department spokesman John Kirby said at a regular briefing.