South Korea said Thursday it has accepted a North Korean proposal to hold high-level defense talks a day after the leaders of the U.S. and China called for better communication between the two Koreas. The talks could have significance if Seoul and Pyongyang can put aside military and political tensions and lay the groundwork for a resumption of broader international talks on ending North Korea's nuclear programs. Lower-level defense talks last year foundered over the issue of the sinking of a South Korean naval ship in disputed waters. The agenda should include North Korean assurances that it will take "responsible measures" over the ship sinking and another deadly incident last year and not provoke further tensions, said Lee Jong-joo, a spokeswoman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs. North Korea launched artillery at a South Korean island in November in an attack that killed four people. However, it denies attacking the navy ship that sank in March, killing 46 sailors.