DATE=8/31/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=KOREAS / TALKS (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-266013 BYLINE=ALISHA RYU DATELINE=HONG KONG CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: North and South Korea have agreed to arrange more family reunions and to boost economic cooperation. But a second round of post-summit ministerial talks in Pyongyang has failed to reach agreement on opening a military hotline. V-O-A's Alisha Ryu says the two sides may keep talking until Friday. TEXT: News reports from Pyongyang say the two sides have agreed to arrange up to three more reunions this year for families separated since the Korean War. North and South Korea have also reportedly agreed to sign accords that would guarantee investment and avoid double taxation. But North Korea is said to be reluctant to establish a military hotline to ease cross-border tensions. South Korea had stressed that the hotline would be instrumental in preventing accidental conflicts. The Korean border remains the world's most heavily fortified frontier - with nearly two-million troops on either side. /// OPT /// The two sides will reportedly try to bridge differences in order to release a final statement before the South Korean delegation leaves Friday. /// END OPT /// Reports from the talks did not say how North Korea responded to the issue of South Koreans believed to be living in the North against their will. The Seoul government says North Korea is still holding about 300 South Korean prisoners from the Korean War. It also wants Pyongyang to return 454 South Korean citizens - mostly fishermen - that South Korea says were abducted since the end of the war. The first round of talks, held in Seoul last month, resulted in several agreements, including the reopening of border liaison offices and restoring a cross-border railroad line. The talks are a follow-up to the June summit accord that called for reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas. The summit was the first breakthrough for the two sides since the Korean War ended in an armed truce in 1953. (SIGNED) NEB/HK/AR/JO/RAE 31-Aug-2000 08:46 AM EDT (31-Aug-2000 1246 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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