South Korea said Tuesday there is no change in its position on sanctions on North Korea despite President Park Geun-hye’s unexpected public comments on the matter.
Seoul banned all inter-Korean economic exchanges except for a joint industrial complex following the North’s 2010 torpedo attack on the South’s Cheonan warship that killed 46 sailors. President Park said Monday the two Koreas should resolve it “through dialogue in a responsible manner.”
“The North should first take a responsible step with regard to the Cheonan incident,” a ministry official told reporters at a background briefing.
The official said the government agrees to the need for talks with North Korea on the sanctions, widely known as the May 24th Measure.
The North has called for the lifting of the sanctions, claiming it is the biggest obstacle to inter-Korean ties.
Breaking her silence on the issue, President Park raised the need for dialogue while presiding over a meeting aimed at preparing for the unification of the two sides in the future.
Park also indicated the possibility of restarting fertilizer aid to the impoverished neighbor.
The ministry official, however, said the assistance would be limited even if resumed, unlike government-level massive aid under the previous liberal administrations. (Yonhap)
