South Korean parliament speaker pushes for reopening North-South dialogue

ANKARA

South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik called for the reopening of dialogue between North and South Korea on Wednesday, despite tensions between the two neighbors, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Speaking at the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Switzerland, Woo said the two sides have stopped loudspeaker broadcasts, sending propaganda leaflets and balloons filled with waste over the border and jamming signals, which were symbolic of confrontation and hostility.

"Despite the difficulties, channels for dialogue must remain open," he said.

His remarks came just two days after Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, publicly dismissed Seoul’s offer for talks, rejecting President Lee Jae-myung’s push to ease military tensions and restore dialogue.

Since assuming office last month, the Lee administration has taken steps to reduce tensions with North Korea, suspending border propaganda broadcasts and urging civic groups to halt anti-Pyongyang activities, signaling his government’s commitment to restarting dialogue.

Earlier, Kim Yo Jong said that Pyongyang is not interested in any proposal from South Korea and will not sit down for dialogue and accused President Lee of not being different from his predecessor while blindly adhering to the South Korea-US alliance and pursuing confrontation with North Korea.