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

The working-level discussions, which lasted less than two hours over a morning and afternoon session in the border truce village of Panmunjom, were to set up ministerial-level talks tentatively scheduled for Wednesday in Seoul.

The agenda there will focus on restoring suspended commercial links, including the Kaesong joint industrial complex that the North effectively shut down in April as tensions between the historic rivals peaked.