North Korea Accepts January 9 Talks Offer From South Korea

A woman holding a child look towards North Korea as they stand at a military fence at Imjingak park, south of the Military Demarcation Line and Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, on February 19, 2015. South Korean families separated during the Korean war often visit the DMZ to offer prayers to their relatives in the North, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

SEOUL–North and South Korea will hold official talks next week for the first time in more than two years after Pyongyang accepted Seoul’s offer for dialogue, just hours after the United States and South Korea delayed a joint military exercise.

The South’s unification ministry said North Korea had sent its consent for the talks to be held on Jan. 9 in a statement at 0116 GMT. The last time the two Koreas engaged in official talks was in December 2015.