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Seoul seeks to calm Pyongyang following threat to sever ties
South Korea sought to reassure North Korea that it did not want confrontation yesterday after the communist nation threatened to sever all ties, throwing into doubt a joint industrial park and tourism exchanges.
- AP
- Published: 00:00 October 18, 2008
Seoul: South Korea sought to reassure North Korea that it did not want confrontation yesterday after the communist nation threatened to sever all ties, throwing into doubt a joint industrial park and tourism exchanges.
North Korea warned on Thursday it might cut any remaining relations between the neighbours, accusing the South of seeking a policy of "reckless confrontation." The warning was seen as an attempt to pressure Seoul's new conservative government to change its hard-line stance on Pyongyang.
"We don't in any way want confrontation with North Korea," said Kim Ho-nyeon, spokesman for Seoul's Unification Ministry in charge of relations with Pyongyang.
"Our position remains unchanged that we want to resolve all problems through dialogue between the South and the North." The warning raised concern that the North may ditch two key civilian projects between the sides - a tour program and an industrial park project - which have continued despite a freeze in government-level ties.
Tough stance
North Korea has been unhappy with South Korea's new President Lee Myung-bak, who took office in February with a pledge to get tough on the rival state - a stance that contrasted with his two liberal predecessors who aggressively sought reconciliation by providing massive aid to the impoverished nation.
Pyongyang has suspended all government-level exchanges, though the sides met as part of broader international negotiations on North Korea's nuclear programmes. It has also rejected a food aid proposal and dialogue offers from the South, saying they lacked sincerity.
Ties frayed further after a South Korean woman was shot dead by a North Korean soldier in July during a tour to the North's Diamond Mountain resort after she entered an adjacent restricted military area. South Korea immediately suspended the mountain tour programme.
Still, other civilian exchanges have continued, including another tour programme to the North's ancient border city of Kaesong and a joint factory park nearby. The two programmes have been considered prominent symbols of inter-Korean reconciliation. But they have also been criticised for providing hard currency that could be used for North Korea's nuclear development.
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