South and North Korea will hold a working-level meeting later this week to discuss ways to modernize underground cables set up across their border for direct phone and other communication lines, the unification ministry said Wednesday.
The meeting, set for Friday at the joint liaison office in the North‘s border town of Kaesong, will focus on cooperation in replacing the current copper communications cables with fiber-optic cables, the ministry said.
Lee, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will be in Washington from Monday to Wednesday. According to the sources, Lee will be joined by officials from the unification ministry and the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae who will be part of the working group.
The task force is composed of officials from the ministry handling inter-Korean affairs and other relevant government agencies, along with members from civic groups, according to the official.
„As the date is approaching, we need to accelerate preparations,“ the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. „Consultations are underway with relevant agencies and civic groups.“