SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Wednesday that whether to hold the high-level inter-Korean talks depends on South Korea, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.
The DPRK's National Defense Commission sent a notice to South Korea's presidential national security office early Wednesday through the western military hotline, saying the South Korean government connived at the scattering of anti-DPRK leaflets by civic groups.
The DPRK's top military body said it depends on South Korea's responsible choice whether to hold on to the anti-DPRK leaflets distribution or to hold the senior-level talks. It noted that South Korea was going in the direction of thwarting the agreed- upon inter-Korean dialogue.
On Oct. 4, the DPRK agreed to the second round of high-level inter-Korean talks during the sudden visit of three high-ranking DPRK officials to South Korea for the closing ceremony of the Incheon Asian Games. The DPRK said South Korea can pick a date for the talks between late October and early November.
South Korea proposed on Oct. 15 to hold the agreed-upon senior- level dialogue on Oct. 30, but the DPRK kept mum about the proposal as some South Korean civic groups floated anti-DPRK leaflets across the border despite Pyongyang's strong opposition.
In response to the notice, Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol told a press briefing Wednesday that the government has no legal ground to intervene in civic groups'dispersion of the anti-DPRK leaflets, noting that Seoul has expressed its position on the issue several times in the past.
Lim said it is doubtful whether the DPRK has a willingness to improve inter-Korean relations as it took issue with the anti-DPRK leaflets that the South Korean government cannot control.
The spokesman expressed regrets over the"actual failure" to hold the high-level talks on Oct. 30, adding that the government cannot accept the DPRK's unjustifiable demand despite Seoul's unwavering position that inter-Korean issues should be resolved via dialogue.
|
