S. Korea vows efforts to improve ties despite NK silence

Published : Jul 21, 2017 - 11:21 Updated : Jul 21, 2017 - 14:47

South Korea's unification ministry called on North Korea to accept its dialogue offer, vowing to make efforts to improve inter-Korean ties without being swayed by the North's silence.

The government also said that it has no plan to make another dialogue proposal as Pyongyang has remained mum toward Seoul's offer for military talks on easing border tensions on Friday and family reunions talks on Aug. 1.

"The government believes that there is the need to make step-by-step efforts (to improve inter-Korean relations) in a calm manner, rather than being swayed by North Korea's attitude," Lee Eugene, vice spokesperson at the ministry, told a regular press briefing. "We expect North Korea to respond to our dialogue offer as soon as possible."

Lee Eugene (Yonhap)

President Moon Jae-in proposed ways to bring permanent peace to the divided peninsula during his speech in Berlin earlier this month.

The government on Monday proposed to hold military talks on Friday at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone which bisects the two Koreas. It also offered Red Cross talks in August to discuss reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea's Rodong Sinmun, the main newspaper, said Thursday that it is nonsense for Seoul to hope to improve its relations with the North while sticking to its sanctions-oriented policy toward Pyongyang.

South Korea said that conditions for full-fledged talks with North Korea have not been met due to the North's nuclear and missile aspirations.

But its latest dialogue offer should be viewed differently from talks aimed at North Korea's denuclearization as it is aimed at easing tensions and resolving humanitarian issues. (Yonhap)