The long-awaited inter-Korean liaison office opens today at North Korea’s southern border city of Kaesong.<br />It was originally planned to open last month,... but was delayed due to a diplomatic deadlock with the U.S.<br />For more, let's speak to our Park Hee-jun at Seoul’s Unification Ministry.<br />Hee-jun, tell us more about why the office is so important for the two Koreas.<br /><br /> The liaison office is a 24-hour, all-year-round communication channel between South and North Korea,... which aims to boost inter-Korean exchanges.<br />It's the first time since the two Koreas were divided that such a channel is being opened.<br /><br /> An opening ceremony will be held at the complex in about half an hour,... attended by some 50 people from each side.<br />From the South,... participants will include the minister and vice minister of the Unification Ministry.<br />There will also be a fair number of experts and businesspeople.<br /><br />To help you better understand the liaison office...<br />The two Koreas have been using the Panmunjom channel.<br />But it has its limits because of the distance and because it didn't operate around the clock.<br />The liaison office in Kaesong corrects those issues, and what's more,... the office can send messages directly to South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.<br /><br /> A regular meeting will be held every week to discuss urgent issues relevant to the two Koreas, including economic cooperation.<br />And the facility will be supervised by the vice minister of Seoul's Unification Ministry, Chun hae-sung.<br />It's not yet known who the representative from the North will be,... but it will be someone at the vice minister level.<br />Around 20 officers from each side will reside at the office,... working 9 to 5 shifts during the weekdays, as well as overnight shifts, and weekend duty.<br /><br /> The office will begin operating right after the ceremony,... and that will mark the start of a permanent contact channel for the two Koreas,... a fundamental step for stabilizing inter-Korean ties.<br />And the Unification Ministry says,... that depending on the level of improvement in relations,... South and North Korea could consider setting up offices in each other's capitals.<br /><br /> The liaison office was something agreed in the Panmunjom Declaration,... and it will contribute to improving inter-Korean relations and helping establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.<br />Mark, I'll hand things back to you. <br />
