ISTANBUL, Jan 27 (AA\/APP): South Korea said on Friday that it will seek to \u201cnormalize\u201d relations with the North through “direct and indirect” contacts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the South will sternly counter North Korea’s provocations through cooperation based on the strong Seoul-Washington alliance, the government will also make efforts to restart inter-Korean dialogue this year,\u201d Seoul-based Yonhap News quoted a report submitted to President Yoon Suk Yeol by the country\u2019s Unification Ministry.<\/p>\n
However, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se clarified that the government \u201cis not considering making a new offer of talks to Pyongyang, although it remains willing to resume dialogue at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important for North Korea to come back to dialogue with sincerity,\u201d he said at a press conference in Seoul.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government plans to seek direct and indirect contact with North Korea through civic groups and international organizations in a bid to open up chances to improve strained inter-Korean ties,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n
The latest development comes after tensions on Korean Peninsula escalated late last year, when North Korea launched at least 60 missiles while South Korea and the US held joint military drills.<\/p>\n
Drones from North Korea also crossed into South Korea, causing some airports to shut down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf inter-Korean dialogues restart, the ministry plans to put its priority on addressing issues stemming from the Koreas’ division, such as families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War and South Koreans detained in the North,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISTANBUL, Jan 27 (AA\/APP): South Korea said on Friday that it will seek to \u201cnormalize\u201d relations with the North through “direct and indirect” contacts. \u201cWhile the South will sternly counter North Korea’s provocations through cooperation based on the strong Seoul-Washington alliance, the government will also […]<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":67871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[270],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n