Seoul-based MBC TV station reported Sunday that Pyongyang and Washington had "practically reached" a final agreement on the release of Kim Hak-song, Kim Sang-duk and Kim Dong-chul. "They are hammering out details over the timing of the release," it quoted an unnamed South Korean diplomatic source as saying. - Diplomatic flurry -Reports on the detainees' possible release come amid a flurry of diplomatic activities involving Pyongyang, Seoul, Washington and its allies. The Stockholm talks overlapped with another meeting among the top national security advisors of the US, South Korea and Japan. Also on Sunday, a senior North Korean diplomat arrived in Finland for talks on peninsula issues with former officials and academics from the US and South Korea.

Source: Sunday Times March 19, 2018 03:56 UTC