18 July 2017

News Report: Seoul Ready for Dialogue With Pyongyang Depending on N Korea's Denuclearization

Seoul is ready to fully launch the dialogue with Pyongyang, but depending on what position North Korea would have on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said Monday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Seoul offered Pyongyang to hold negotiations on the level of military officials on Friday in order to stop all hostilities on the bilateral border and also proposed to have talks on the level of Red Cross charity representatives on August 1, according to the Yonhap news agency.

“We will consider the normalization of dialogue between the South and the North, monitoring the latter’s position on denuclearization,” the unification minister said, as quoted by the agency.

Tensions between the two countries have risen in the recent years amid Pyongyang's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, conducted in violation of the UN Security Council’s resolutions. However, the dialogue with North Korea and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula became a part of policy of new South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.