Gov't refuses NK's proposal for military talks

South Korea's Defense Ministry turned down North Korea's proposal on Monday to hold bilateral military talks by sending a letter that asks to show the South the will and actions for denuclearization first. Seoul emphasized that unless Pyongyang is willing to give up their nuclear weapons, there will be no inter-Korean talks.

"We clearly delivered a message that we were disappointed that they made the proposal for military talks without mentioning the nuclear issue," Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said in the Monday briefing. "We also clarified that if North Korea truly wants peace and stability in the peninsula, it must get rid of nuclear weapons first." North Korean Ministry of the People's Armed Forces delivered the proposal on Saturday through the military communication line on the west coastline that it unilaterally killed in February. South Korea's Defense Ministry sent the response through the same line on Monday morning.

"This is not a time to start a conversation. North Korea must have intended to cause internal discord in Korea as well as disturbance in the international sanctions on North Korea with this kind of proposal." Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee also remarked in the same briefing.

Earlier on Friday, Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo stressed the government's policy toward North Korea in a press interview with the Dong-A Ilbo and the Asahi Shimbun. "Inter-Korean military talks will be meaningless unless denuclearization is discussed."

The government's attitude has completely changed from this when North Korea had their fourth nuclear test. Now the government has refused to talk at all with North Korea, calling for denuclearization as the top priority. Before North Korea's fourth nuclear test, the government would always accept whenever North Korea suggested talking. The government even asked for "unconditional talks" between South and North Korea. Such a policy has changed after the fourth nuclear test and long-range missile launches, as Seoul decided that without tackling the nuclear issue, South-North Korea relations would go nowhere.

윤완준기자 zeitung@donga.com