North Korea, hit hard by unprecedented power shortages, is seeking emergency supplies from South Korea. Officials from the two nations are expected to conclude three days of talks in Pyongyang today after agreeing on needed arrangements. Visitors to the North say factories are running at just 20 percent of capacity and blackouts in homes are routine.
The talks are the latest in a series of inter-Korean moves to improve relations following last June's summit meeting between the North and South Korean leaders. Those moves have already produced promising results, such as talks on economic cooperation and reunions of separated relatives.
A project will get under way in March to restore the disconnected railway line across the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas. Also in the works are joint field surveys for flood control and fishery cooperation. Deeds, not words, are setting the pace. It remains to be seen, however, whether these efforts will lead to the establishment of a permanent framework of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.