INTERNATIONAL

Seoul Opens Door to the North: South Korea said it will allow its businessmen to visit North Korea despite Pyongyang’s rejection so far of talks with the Seoul government. North Korea has indicated it wants private-level business contacts, but has spurned South Korea’s offer of official talks to pave the way for inter-Korean economic cooperation. A government spokesman in Seoul said local firms could go ahead with small-scale projects in the North. But he added that any major economic cooperation “must follow negotiations between the governments” of north and south.