N Korea's Kim 'to advance' closer ties with South

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said he wants to "write a new history of national reunification" with South Korea, state media says.

Mr Kim told visiting South Korean envoys it was his "firm will to vigorously advance" closer ties, the North's KCNA news agency said.

The North Korean leader hosted a dinner for the delegates on Monday.

It marked the first time officials from Seoul had met Mr Kim since he took office in 2011.

Relations between the two Koreas have warmed following last month's Winter Olympics, which were held in Pyeongchang in the South.

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The 10-member South Korean delegation includes two ministerial-level envoys - intelligence chief Suh Hoon and National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong.

Mr Chung had earlier told reporters he would deliver President Moon Jae-in's "resolution to maintain the dialogue and improvement in relations between the South and the North... [and] to denuclearize the Korean peninsula".

Following the meeting, KCNA said Kim Jong-un had "warmly welcomed" the delegates and held an "openhearted talk" with them.

source: www.bbc.co.