韓朝聯合聯絡處將於週五開放

North and South Korea will open a joint liaison office on Friday aimed at fostering cross-border communications and relations.

South Korea's Unification Ministry announced Wednesday the new office will be opened in the North Korean city of Kaesong, located near the border that splits the rivals.

The ministry says the liaison office will become "a round-the-clock consultation and communication channel" aimed at "easing military tensions and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Both nations will deploy up to 20 officials to staff the office.

The idea for the liaison office grew out of the April summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. It was scheduled to open last month, but was delayed due to an impasse between North Korea and the United States over the pace of North Korea's dismantling of its nuclear weapons program, a promise Kim Jong Un made during his summit with President Donald Trump in Singapore in June.

The situation has since improved after a South Korean presidential delegation traveled to Pyongyang last week and personally met with Kim, who passed on a letter to President Trump offering to engage in a second round of talks.韓國和朝鮮週五（9月14日）將開放一個聯合聯絡辦公室，目的是要促進跨境通訊和南北關係。

韓國統一部週三宣佈，新聯絡處將設在朝鮮境內的開城，這座城市位於敵對的南北雙方的分界線附近。

統一部表示，聯絡處將成爲“全天候的諮詢和溝通渠道”，以期“緩和軍事緊張局勢，在朝鮮半島建立和平”。

南北雙方將向聯絡處派駐多達20名官員。

開放聯絡辦公室的想法是朝鮮領導人金正恩和韓國總統文在寅在今年4月的峯會上提出的，原本計劃上個月開放，但由於朝鮮解除其核武器的行動停滯不前導致與美國陷入僵局而被推遲。金正恩今年6月在新加坡與美國總統特朗普的峯會期間作出朝鮮去核化的承諾。

自上週韓國總統代表團前往平壤並與金正恩會面後，情況有所改善。金正恩後來致函特朗普總統，提議舉行第二次高峯會談。