North and South Korean officials were meant to be cooling the deepening crisis on the peninsula in their first talks for more than a year yesterday, but instead spent the day debating which Orwellian-sounding building to meet in.
When they finally agreed, the session lasted for only 22 minutes. No details on what was discussed were immediately available.
North Korea requested talks at the weekend, saying it had an important message to deliver during a period of worsening tensions. The reclusive communist state has fired a long-range rocket over Japan this month, expelled nuclear inspectors and said it would restart a reactor that can produce weapons-grade plutonium.