Koreas' Talks Could Spark Disarmament Progress

A meeting Wednesday of the rival Koreas' nuclear envoys could provide crucial momentum toward restarting disarmament talks, just months after the two countries were threatening to bomb each other into rubble.

Relations are still complicated and wariness lingers as the envoys prepare for face-to-face talks in Beijing that aim to build on their surprise meeting in July -- which was seen as a small breakthrough after months of acrimony.

But there has been a recent flurry of diplomatic and cultural exchanges between the Koreas.

South Korea's hard-line government is making public vows of a new flexible approach to Pyongyang, and the North's state media have eased harsh rhetoric aimed at Seoul's leaders.