North and South Korea to hold official talks on January 9

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Photo / AP

The rival Koreas have agreed to revive their first formal dialogue in more than two years.

Next week the two nations will meet to find ways to cooperate on the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South, a sign of easing animosities that followed a period of rising nuclear tension that saw fears of war on the Korean Peninsula.

The announcement by Seoul's Unification Ministry came hours after the United States said it has agreed to delay annual joint military exercises with South Korea until after the Winter Olympics.

The exercises have been a major source of tension because North Korea considers them an invasion rehearsal, although South Korea and the United States have repeatedly said the drills are defensive in nature.

On Friday morning, North Korea sent a message saying it would accept South Korea's offer to meet at the border village of Panmunjom next Tuesday to discuss Olympic co-operation and how to improve overall ties, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry.

Spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said he expects the two Koreas to exchange messages to determine who would head each other's delegations and other issues.

Any dialogue between the Koreas is considered a positive step toward easing confrontations. But critics say the North's abrupt push for improving ties may be a tactic to divide Seoul and Washington and weaken international pressure and sanctions on Pyongyang.

Despite his recent outreach to the South, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in his New Year's Day address that he has a "nuclear button" on his desk to fire atomic weapons at the United States.

President Donald Trump quickly responded that he had a nuclear button of his own.

Past breakthroughs to ease Korean tensions have often ended with renewed animosities. It's likely the North will agree to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics and refrain from provocations during the Games.

But tensions could return afterward because the North has no intentions of abandoning its weapons programs and the US will not ease its pressure on the country, analysts say.

- AP