SKorea aims to revive NKorea dialogue

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

South Korea attempted to breathe life back into recent cooperation efforts with North Korea Monday, following the collapse of high-level talks over the weekend.

An eagerly anticipated meeting at the vice minister level proved to be fruitless, despite discussions dragging on from Friday to Saturday.

Seoul and Pyongyang had decided to pursue dialogue after reaching a landmark bilateral agreement on Aug. 25, which softened a spike in tensions between the neighbors.

Improving relations with North Korea has been one of the South's most confounding challenges over recent decades -- Seoul has tried both soft and hard tactics in the years since the 1950-53 Korean War, following which the two sides never signed a peace treaty.

Pyongyang has remained deeply suspicious of the ongoing deployment of United States troops in South Korea, but the North has created its own trust issues by ignoring international sanctions with its development of nuclear weapons.

After their latest talks closed with neither a statement nor plans for more dialogue, Pyongyang's Uriminzokkiri website blamed the South.

"Slandering and defaming the opposite party is a source of trouble that spoils the mood of talks and tie-mending," the mouthpiece claimed Sunday.

North Korea had apparently been upset about human rights and nuclear-related comments made by South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Paris this month

The North also pointed to more practical issues, such as Seoul's refusal to link Pyongyang's proposed resumption of a joint tourist venture with reunions for divided relatives.

South Korean unification ministry spokesperson Jeong Joon-hee responded by suggesting that North Korea "come forward for follow-up talks."

But while hoping that North Korea would honor August's cooperation agreement, Jeong told reporters that Pyongyang would have to compromise on its demands.

"There is no change in the government's basic policy to develop South-North ties and lay the foundation for a peaceful reunification by holding open dialogue with the North," the spokesperson said.