Pyongyang okays working-level talks with Seoul

The North Korean government has agreed to hold talks with Seoul in a bid to soothe mounting cross-border tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Seoul's Unification Ministry said on Tuesday that Pyongyang has agreed to a request for working-level talks on flood prevention and humanitarian issues, including family reunions.

The decision is generally viewed as signaling Pyongyang's desire to improve bilateral ties with the South despite its latest test fire of five short-range missiles on Monday.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry criticized the launches on Tuesday for breaching UN Security Council resolutions banning ballistic missile tests, and urged the North not to repeat them.

While sources in Seoul predict the North might be preparing to launch more short-range missiles, analysts say the move could be part of routine military drills. Japan's coast guard also said the North had warned of 'firing exercises' day and night until October 25 in the Yellow Sea.

Against all odds, the two Koreas seem to be moving out of a months-long standoff following a number of conciliatory moves from Pyongyang aimed at breaking the ice with both Seoul and its ally, Washington.

The North freed five South Korean detainees, eased curbs on the operations of a joint industrial estate and sent envoys for talks with the South's President, Lee Myung-Bak. It also resumed a stalled reunion program for families split by the 1950-53 war.

Meanwhile, the South is reportedly considering resuming its food aid to the impoverished North, where the UN says one-third of the women and children are already malnourished. The program had been suspended after President Lee took office in 2008.

The unification ministry, however, ruled out any decision before the results of the inter-Korean talks later this week were studied.