South Korea regrets North’s ‘threat’ of stern punishment
27 Jan 2015 3:08 AM GMT
Unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol told a press briefing that it was very regrettable for North Korea to distort and denounce South Korea’s will to improve inter-Korean ties and even “threaten” the country through the country’s National Defence Commission statement, a news agency reported.
The spokesman blamed Pyongyang for no clear response to Seoul’s dialogue offer for almost a month, stressing that there was no change in its position that South Korea was ready to resolve all issues of mutual concern through dialogue irrespective of the form of dialogue. Lim urged the North to come forward to the dialogue table “without hesitation” to talk about what it wants if it really wanted to enhance inter-Korean relations, calling for Pyongyang not to make unilateral claims. His comments came a day after North Korea’s National Defence Commission said that “even a basic dialogue mood has not been formed” as South Korea distorted North Korea’s sincerity and will to improve inter-Korean relations. The commission cited the planned joint annual military exercises between South Korea and the US, and Seoul’s connivance of anti-North Korea leaflet spreading by South Korean civic groups.
North Korea has cited those two issues as well as the lifting of sanctions imposed by South Korea as preconditions for resuming inter-Korean talks. Regarding the calls, Lim said South Korea was not considering accepting Pyongyang’s preconditions to induce North Korea to the dialogue table, reiterating that it should come forward to the table to comprehensively talk about what it wants.
The spokesman blamed Pyongyang for no clear response to Seoul’s dialogue offer for almost a month, stressing that there was no change in its position that South Korea was ready to resolve all issues of mutual concern through dialogue irrespective of the form of dialogue. Lim urged the North to come forward to the dialogue table “without hesitation” to talk about what it wants if it really wanted to enhance inter-Korean relations, calling for Pyongyang not to make unilateral claims. His comments came a day after North Korea’s National Defence Commission said that “even a basic dialogue mood has not been formed” as South Korea distorted North Korea’s sincerity and will to improve inter-Korean relations. The commission cited the planned joint annual military exercises between South Korea and the US, and Seoul’s connivance of anti-North Korea leaflet spreading by South Korean civic groups.
North Korea has cited those two issues as well as the lifting of sanctions imposed by South Korea as preconditions for resuming inter-Korean talks. Regarding the calls, Lim said South Korea was not considering accepting Pyongyang’s preconditions to induce North Korea to the dialogue table, reiterating that it should come forward to the table to comprehensively talk about what it wants.
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