SEOUL: Two days of high-level talks between North and South Korea ended on Saturday with no breakthroughs, South Korean officials said, leaving mixed signals about reconciliation efforts the rivals have made since stepping away from a military standoff in August.

The meeting of vice-ministerial officials in the town of Kaesong was not expected to produce any substantial results, but analysts had considered the talks a sign that the rivals were working to keep alive an atmosphere of dialogue — something they’ve often failed to do in the wake of conflict.

After the talks stretched in the evening on Saturday, as they had done on Friday, they ended without any statement from either side. The countries were also unable to fix a date for a further meeting, South Korean officials said.

During the talks, South Korea demanded that the North commit to more reunions between aging family members separated by the 1950-53 Korean War or allow them to communicate through letters, said Hwang Boogi, South Korea’s vice minister of unification and head negotiator for the talks.

North Korea, however, maintained that it couldn’t further discuss the separated families issue without the South agreeing to restart joint tours to the North’s scenic Diamond Mountain resort. The South refused, causing the talks to end, Hwang said.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2015