South Korea pledges efforts to improve ties, despite North Korea's silence

(Baonghean.vn)- On July 21, the South Korean Unification Ministry called on North Korea to accept its proposal for dialogue and pledged efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, despite silence from Pyongyang.

South Korea has no plans to make another proposal for dialogue, as Pyongyang has remained silent on South Korea's proposal for military talks aimed at easing tensions along the border and family reunion talks scheduled for August 1.

South Korea hopes North Korea will respond to the dialogue proposal as soon as possible. Photo: Yonhap

“The South Korean government believes that we should not give up just because of North Korea’s attitude, and we need to make efforts (to improve inter-Korean relations) step by step and based on the principle of calm,” Lee Eugene, deputy spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry, told reporters. “We also hope that North Korea will respond to our dialogue proposal as soon as possible.”

In a speech in Berlin earlier this month, President Moon Jae-in proposed ways to bring permanent peace to the divided peninsula. Earlier this week, Seoul proposed military talks on Friday at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). South Korea also proposed Red Cross talks in August to discuss the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea has repeatedly challenged the international community with missile tests. Photo: AP

On July 20, the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the North Korean Communist Party, said it was absurd for Seoul to hope to improve relations with the country while maintaining a sanctions-oriented policy toward Pyongyang.

South Korea believes that the conditions for mature talks with North Korea have not been met, given the North's nuclear and missile ambitions. However, the latest dialogue offer can be seen as separate from discussions aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, aiming to reduce tensions and resolve humanitarian issues./.

Lan Ha

(According to Yonhap)