Korean Peninsula deal can help reconciliate

After 40-plus-hours of talks at the border village of Panmunjom, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea agreed on Tuesday to defuse tensions by withdrawing the highest-alert orders to their troops.

In a joint statement, Pyongyang expressed regret over the landmine blasts in the southern section of the demilitarized zone on Aug 4 that maimed two ROK soldiers on patrol, while Seoul stopped its loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along the border from Tuesday noon.

Tensions rose as well as eased fast this time, because neither side wanted a war. Given their joint efforts to maintain calm on the Korean Peninsula even during the two major flare-ups in 1993 and 2002, it is clear that Seoul and Pyongyang want to defuse the situation rather than worsening their relationship.