Pyongyang urges Seoul to take practical measures for dialogue

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday urged the Republic of Korea (ROK) to show their will to improve inter-Korean ties by taking practical measures and avoid escalation of tensions.

ROK's Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol on Monday told a press briefing that if the DPRK really has a will to resolve pending issues and improve inter-Korean relations, it should come to the dialogue table without repeating its wasting claims any more.

ROK media outlets also expressed concerns that north-south dialogue may be hard to materialize thanks to no response from Pyongyang to Seoul's talks offer.

"This is an intolerable insult to the DPRK's sincere efforts to bring about a great change in the north-south relations in this significant year," the official KCNA news agency quoted an unnamed spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea as saying.

"The South Korean authorities should not just pay lip-service to 'dialogue' and 'confidence' but make a bold decision to settle national issues and reunification issue with their fellow countrymen through frank discussions, free from the US control, and show the will for the improvement of the relations by taking practical and trust-based measures," the spokesman stressed.

He also called on Seoul to stop acts that harm fellow countrymen and escalate tensions "by toeing to the US policy."