South Korea calls for resuming dialogue with North

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SEOUL – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on March 1 for dialogue with North Korea to resume, after Pyongyang last week shunned the prospect of diplomacy with its neighbour.

Since taking office in June, a dovish Mr Lee has sought to mend ties with the nuclear-armed North, which reaffirmed its anti-Seoul approach during a party meeting last week.

“As my administration has repeatedly made clear, we respect the North’s system and will neither engage in any type of hostile acts, nor pursue any form of unification by absorption,” Mr Lee said in a speech marking the anniversary of a historical campaign against Japan’s colonial rule.

“We will also continue our efforts to resume dialogue with the North,” he said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, describing its overtures as “clumsy, deceptive farce and a poor work”.

Speaking at the party congress in Pyongyang, Mr Kim said North Korea has “absolutely no business dealing with South Korea, its most hostile entity, and will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of compatriots”.