S. Korea urges North's sincerity in denuclearization

SEOUL, June 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Monday that North Korea should show sincerity in its attitude and action on the denuclearization issue if it seeks high-level talks with the United States. "A sincere attitude and specific actions in regards to denuclearization is critical," said Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-suk. The remarks made at a news briefing reflect Seoul's reservations on the motives behind the surprise proposal made by the North's powerful National Defense Commission (NDC) on Sunday. Seoul's views are the same as those expressed by the White House a day earlier after the North proposed bilateral dialogue, Kim said. Washington emphasized that Pyongyang must first prove its seriousness about dialogue through actions, effectively turning down the proposal for the time being. Kim pointed out that Washington already made clear that it wants sincere talks and that the channel of dialogue remains open. "The U.S. is also calling on the North to abide by international standards on nuclear proliferation that is linked to sanctions imposed by the United Nations," Kim said. The sanctions were initiated after the North detonated its third nuclear device on Feb. 12. Pyongyang claimed that it is calling for high-level talks with Washington to control uncertainties on the Korean Peninsula, and that it wants to establish regional peace and security. The communist country said the agenda for the talks can include easing of military tensions on the peninsula, replacing the armistice that halted the Korean War (1950-53) with a permanent peace treaty and discussions on U.S. goals for a nuclear-free world. The proposal came five days after senior inter-Korean governmental talks were canceled at the last minute over disagreements on the rank of officials tapped to represent the two sides at the meeting that would have taken place in Seoul. Related to the latest attempt by the North to engage in dialogue, the unification ministry said in a report submitted to the National Assembly earlier in the day that Pyongyang's decision to send Choe Ryong-hae as special envoy to China late last month may be a tactical move to extract itself from the present impasse. "After intensifying saber-rattling tactics, the North started to concentrate on highlighting economic achievements and overcoming difficulties that paint the picture of the country's leadership interested in alleviating the plight of the people." On the aborted inter-Korean talks, the ministry again expressed regret over the North actions, arguing the other side should come to the negotiating table to touch on all outstanding issues. "Seoul is committed to the 'trust building' process, maintains an open channel of dialogue and is more than willing to tackle all issues confronting the two sides through discussions," it said. Meanwhile, the ministry said that of the 123 companies that had operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, 72 had received special loans worth 48.8 billion won (US$43.2 million) from the South-North cooperation fund, with an additional 21.1 billion won being borrowed from other financial sources. The complex, which was the last remaining business tie-up between the two sides, was forced to halt operations on April 9, after the North stopped all of its 53,000 laborers from reporting to work. Besides loans, Seoul said that 27 companies received 96.6 billion won in insurance following the closure of operations at the North Korean complex. yonngong@yna.co.kr (END)