Seoul urges N. Korea to return to dialogue as Beijing Olympics wrap up

South Korea's unification ministry on Monday urged North Korea to return to dialogue amid speculation Pyongyang may resume major weapons tests following the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

North Korea conducted seven rounds of missile tests in January, but refrained from shows of force during the Olympics period which ran from Feb. 4-20.

Asked to comment on the possibility of Pyongyang resuming its weapons tests, Lee Jong-joo, spokesperson for Seoul's unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs, said the government is closely monitoring the North's moves while preparing for "all possibilities."

"The unification ministry will keep a close watch on North Korea's activities, preparing for all possibilities, instead of jumping to conclusions regarding the North's next moves," she told a regular press briefing.

"We once again urge North Korea to choose the path for dialogue and cooperation for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," she added.

The North has been recently upping the ante with a series of missile tests and even hinted at the possibility of breaking its yearslong moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing amid an impasse in nuclear negotiations with the United States.

"Our military is closely monitoring the North Korean military's wintertime drills and preparations for an event," Col. Kim Jun-rak, spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a regular press briefing. "There has been no noteworthy change thus far."

The military earlier said the North appears to be at the early stage of preparing for a military parade.

A military officer also told reporters that no "notable" activity has been spotted at either the North's Dongchang-ri missile launch site or the Sinpo submarine shipyard. (Yonhap)