Meanwhile, Seoul and Washington also held "working group" discussions on a range of issues related to North Korea... including reunions for the separated families from the two Koreas.<br />Park Hee-jun reports. South Korea and the U.S. have reached a decision on a sanctions waiver,... that's essential for video reunions of separated families from the two Koreas.<br />This came during a working group session between the two sides in Washington on Thursday, local time.<br />The meeting was led by Rhee Dong-yeol, the South Korean Foreign Ministry's Director General of the Korean Peninsula Peace Regime bureau,... and his U.S. counterpart Alex Wong, deputy assistant secretary of state for North Korea.<br /><br />The progress on the sanctions waiver allows the South to move forward with the video reunions.<br />The UN Security Council last week approved a sanctions exemption,... allowing shipments of equipment such as fiber-optic cables and cameras to the North.<br />With the U.S. also giving the green light,... the two Koreas can now begin preparations for the planned reunions.<br /><br />It was the first working group meeting between Seoul and Washington since the collapsed North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi last month.<br />According to Seoul's foreign ministry,... the two sides exchanged views on how to facilitate post-summit negotiations.<br />They also agreed to continue close cooperation to improve inter-Korean relations,... in a way that helps restart the nuclear dialogue between North Korea and the U.S.<br />The State Department told reporters that Seoul and Washington discussed efforts to achieve the North’s final, fully verified denuclearization-- one being the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions.<br />The two sides will continue to meet regularly to discuss North Korea as "alliance partners".<br /><br />Park Hee-jun, Arirang News. <br />
