S. Korea calls for patience in dealing with N. Korea

South Korea's point man on North Korea on Wednesday called for patience in dealing with North Korea amid no signs of progress in ending a deadlock over the North's two deadly attacks on South Korea last year.
The government will exercise "patience and continue to make efforts for the development of normal inter-Korean relations and the North's change of attitude," Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said in the pre-released text of a speech to lawmakers at the National Assembly.
Tensions have persisted on the peninsula since the March sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on the North. Pyongyang also shelled a South Korean border island in November.
North Korea has spurned Seoul's long-standing demand that Pyongyang take responsibility for the attacks that killed 50 South Koreans. The standoff has kept the two sides from moving their relations forward for more than a year.
The North has also vowed not to deal with South Korea any longer and to take "retaliatory military actions" against the South for using photos of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as targets for military shooting practice.
The relations also further frayed in recent weeks as the two sides accused each other of distorting the facts of their secret meeting in Beijing last month.
The North claimed that Seoul negotiators said the secret meeting was held to try to arrange inter-Korean summit talks, an allegation denied by Seoul.
South Korea said it was designed to wrest North Korea's apology for its two deadly attacks as part of Seoul's efforts to break the current impasse and put inter-Korean ties back on track.