Hopes rise as two Koreas open de facto joint embassy on North's side of border

FILE PHOTO: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, April 27, 2018. Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) - North and South Korea will open a joint liaison office on the North's side of the heavily militarised border on Friday, a South Korean official said, as hopes rise for progress in stalled denuclearisation talks at a summit next week.

The joint liaison office, seen as the start of a de facto embassy, is another step towards closer cooperation between the two Koreas.