NORTH Korean officials have agreed to meet with their southern counterparts after decades of conflict between the two nations and months of soaring tensions between the hermit kingdom's supreme leader Kim Jong-un and US firebrand Donald Trump.
Pyongyang and Seoul have been locked in a tense standoff since the Korean War ended in 1953 in a military stalemate between the two sides.
While all-out conflict has not since sparked up between the North and South, the two nations are still technically at war – with Kim Jong-un continuing his family's legacy of levelling warmongering threats on the neighbouring state.
Now talks are set to start up between high-level diplomats from both parties at the Tongil Pavilion on the North Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom.
South Korea's unification ministry has revealed the North proposed holding talks on the prospects of sending its performance art group to the Pyongchang Winter Olympics.
But while hopes are high the Olympic talks could help the two sides foster a new closer relationship, Japanese officials are more cautious.
Speaking ahead of talks earlier this month, Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera decried the process as a "phase".
He said: “I think what is important is to maintain a firm defence posture.
“North Korea goes through phases of apparent dialogue and provocation but either way, North Korea is continuing its nuclear and missile development.
"We have no intention of weakening our warning and surveillance activity.”
On Thursday Donald Trump heralded the earlier “great great meeting” between the two sides, adding that he hopes “good things are going to work out”.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr Trump said: “We have certainly problems with North Korea.
“But a lot of good talks are going on right now, a lot of good energy, I see a lot of good energy.
“I like it very much what I’m seeing.”
Mr Trump added that he had spoken with South Korea’s President about the talks and he has “some very good feedback”.
He said: “I just spoke this morning with, as you know, the President, President Moon of South Korea, he had some really great meetings.
“His representatives had a great, great meeting, and I had some very good feedback from that.
“So hopefully a lot of good things are going to work out.”