After military talks between South and North Korea collapsed on Feb. 9, Seoul said that the door for talks between the South and North is still open and firmly insisted that the North should take "responsible action" for last year's sinking of south Korean corvette, Cheonan, and shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.
A South Korean defense official said that the South's delegation delivered its position to the North during the meeting that if North Korea agrees to the agenda [for proposed high-level military talks] and the ranks of participants attending, the door for conversation is always open.
The official also said that South Korean delegation told North Korean representatives that since the South's people are still hurt by the two attacks, Seoul cannot put aside the issue like they never happened during the South-North high-level military talks.
In response to Pyongyang's lengthy, fulminating statement condemning Seoul for its responsibility of collapsing the talks, South Korean defense ministry said that the statement is nothing but a unilateral propaganda aimed to create their favorable circumstances related to the collapse of the talks.
In regards to agenda for the high-level military talks, the ministry said Seoul emphasized many times if reasonable results related the sinking of Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island comes out, talks over agenda the North had proposed can be held right away, but the North kept on repeating its position.
"We tried to reach an agreement by revising agenda but any sincerity from the North related to taking responsible actions for the Cheonan sinking and Yeonpyeong bombardment and preventing further provocations cannot be found," said the ministry.
In particular, Pyongyang asserted on Feb. 9 that Seoul was the cause for the Yeonpyeong shelling and the Cheonan incident has nothing to do with the North, the ministry said.
Many said the North has no intention to have sincere conversation with the South from its assertion that the Cheonan sinking was a big plot to rationalize Seoul's confrontation policy with Pyongyang under U.S.'s control.
In response, Seoul said it is nonsense for Pyongyang to say that killing civilians and damaging huge property by bombarding is not a provocation.
Many experts said that North Korea is trying to get assistance by pretending to have talks and evade the responsibility for the sinking of Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong.
Some said that the North pretend to show to the world that it has will to talk and create an atmosphere that the South is responsible for attacks.
South Korea MoND
