Planned high-level talks between North and South Korea -- the first for six years -- were called off at the last minute Tuesday, because of a dispute over the status of their respective chief delegates.

The rift over a matter of protocol was a stark example of the trust deficit that still dominates relations 60 years after the end of the Korean War.

North and South Korea reached Monday a patchy agreement to hold a high-level meeting in Seoul, following marathon talks aimed at rebuilding trust after months of soaring tension and threats of nuclear war.

Sunday's preparatory talks, held in the border truce village of Panmunjom where the armistice ending the 1950-53 Korean War was signed, were the first between the two rivals for more than two years.

North and South Korea held their first official talks for years on Sunday, confronting decades of mutual distrust in a search for some positive end to months of soaring military tensions.

The working-level discussions, which began at around 10:00 am (0100 GMT) in the border truce village of Panmunjom, were aimed at building a framework for ministerial-level talks tentatively scheduled for Wednesday in Seoul.

North and South Korea on Saturday agreed to hold working-level talks on Sunday in the border truce village of Panmunjom, following months of soaring tension.

The two Koreas agreed to send three delegates each to Panmunjom, a traditional point of contact on their border, for talks aimed at paving the way for higher-level negotiations, Seoul's Unification Ministry said.

North Korea reopened a hotline with South Korea on Friday as the two sides agreed to weekend talks aimed at mending ties after months of soaring tensions and threats of nuclear war.

The two Koreas unexpectedly reached a snap agreement Thursday on opening a dialogue, with South Korea responding to a North initiative by offering a ministerial-level meeting in Seoul on June 12.

North Korea's state broadcaster has begun providing live streams of selected programming, including news bulletins, on its official Facebook page.

The move marks a further step by the reclusive state to develop its Internet presence and use of social networks to disseminate state-approved propaganda.

North and South Korea agreed in principle Thursday to hold their first official talks for years, signalling a possible breakthrough in cross-border ties after months of escalated military tensions.

A surprise offer from Pyongyang proposed discussions on a range of commercial and humanitarian issues from reopening a joint industrial complex to resuming cross-border family reunions.

North Korea on Wednesday accused the South of having lured, kidnapped and brainwashed nine young North Korean refugees who were recently forcibly repatriated from Laos to Pyongyang via China.

Their case has attracted international concern and condemnation, with the United Nations and human rights groups warning the North that it would be held responsible for the safety of the refugees -- aged between 14 and 18.

North Korea may be just one or two months away from restarting a reactor to produce plutonium, potentially allowing the regime to ramp up its nuclear weapons program, a think tank said Monday.

Analyzing satellite images, the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said that North Korea has made "significant progress" at its Yongbyon site including on a five-megawatt gas-graphite reactor.

China Monday angrily rebuked a U.N. agency which criticized it over the repatriation of nine young North Korean refugees who had fled to Laos.

The nine, detained in the Southeast Asian country more than three weeks ago, were sent to China on Monday last week and flown back to North Korea the following day.