S. Korea calls for peace, reconciliation on inter-Korean summit anniversary

By a2017001

Published : Jun 15, 2017 - 11:37 Updated : Jun 15, 2017 - 11:37

South Korea on Thursday urged North Korea to seek reconciliation and peace as the two rivals marked the 17th anniversary of their first summit.

On June 15, 2000, leaders of South and North Korea held a historic summit in Pyongyang, which produced a landmark joint declaration on reconciliation.

This file photo taken by the Joint Press Corp. on June 13, 2000, shows former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung (right) and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-il shaking hands at an airport in Pyongyang as the two Koreas hold their first inter-Korean summit. (Yonhap)

Seoul's unification ministry said that a spirit of reconciliation expressed in the declaration takes on a significance for the current grave inter-Korean ties.

"By respecting and implementing the joint declaration, the two Koreas should carry out a spirit of seeking peace on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean reconciliation," the ministry said.

The anniversary came amid heightened tensions sparked by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Liberal President Moon Jae-in proclaimed a dual-track approach of pressure and engagement.

But North Korea called Moon's policy a "foolish act and self-deception," urging the South to ditch what it called confrontational policies, including Seoul's 2010 unilateral sanctions.

It has turned down South Korean civic groups' move for inter-Korean exchanges in protest of Seoul's support of the latest UN sanctions against Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.

North Korea's agency in charge of inter-Korean ties Wednesday called on South Korea to take actions to ease military tensions along the border. (Yonhap)