Officials from North and South Korea are meeting for rare talks aimed at improving long-strained ties, after a military stand-off in August.

The meeting is taking place at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone.

Tension between the two sides ramped up in August when a border blast injured two South Korean soldiers.

Meetings at that time eventually led to the two countries stepping away from a military confrontation.

The BBC’s Stephen Evans in Seoul says Thursday’s talks, agreed after the standoff, are unlikely to produce any grand result, but their significance is that they are taking place in what has been a continual atmosphere of mistrust.

There are no big issues on the agenda, but rather matters of how to continue meeting, perhaps at increasingly senior levels, he says.

The two sides are expected to discuss details such as the timing and agenda of higher-level talks, reported South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The South’s chief negotiator, Kim Ki-Woong, told reporters before the meeting: “We are resolved to maintaining the momentum for dialogue that was started by the August agreement.”