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Seoul sees DPRK's overtures as tactical changes

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-02 17:21

SEOUL: The Democratic Republic of Korea's (DPRK) recent conciliatory gestures do not represent any fundamental changes because it has shown no signs of ending its nuclear weapons program, a top official from the Republic of Korea (ROK) said Wednesday.

In April, the DPRK quit the six-nation talks - involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan - aimed at ending its nuclear program. In another defiant move, the DPRK conducted its second nuclear test in May, drawing international condemnation and new UN sanctions.

But Pyongyang has been reaching out to Seoul and Washington in recent weeks by freeing two American journalists and a ROK worker detained for four months. The DPRK also released four ROK fishermen seized in late July after their boat strayed into northern waters.

Related readings:  ROK, DPRK normalize military hotline: Yonhap  DPRK delegation in Beijing for anniversary: FM  US, ROK sent 170 spy flights in August, says DPRK  DPRK says it will free 4 ROK fishermen  2 Koreas agree on reunions of separated families

The two Koreas also have restored regular traffic for their joint industrial park in the DPRK and agreed to hold a new round of family reunions in later this month, signs of easing tensions. In yet another fresh conciliatory move, the two sides also restored a military hot line in the western section of their heavily fortified border Wednesday. The DPRK had cut the line last year.

However, Unification Minister Hyun In-taek told ruling party lawmakers Wednesday that Pyongyang's recent overtures are "just tactical changes because the DPRK has neither declared its return to the six-nation talks nor changed its position" on its nuclear program.

Hyun is ROK's point person on the DPRK.

The DPRK views its nuclear program as a security guarantee against what it claims is US hostility and its alleged plans to attack against Pyongyang. The DPRK has recently called for one-on-one negotiations with Washington on the nuclear program. The US has said it is willing to hold direct talks with Pyongyang - but only on the sidelines of the disarmament talks.

On Tuesday, the DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Yong-il arrived in Beijing to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties between the countries, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

Kim's delegation met Foreign Ministry officials to exchange views on bilateral relations, the regional situation and issues of mutual concern, Jiang said Tuesday. The trip comes two weeks after Chinese nuclear envoy Wu Dawei visited Pyongyang.

"As the situation in Northeast Asia has recently shown signs of thawing, we expect all parties involved in the Korean nuclear talks to seize this opportunity to continuously transform the situation," Jiang told a regular news conference Tuesday.

The DPRK has protested the hardline policies of the ROK President Lee Myung-bak, who wants to hold the Pyongyang accountable for its nuclear disarmament commitments in return for aid to the impoverished neighbor.

However, he has recently stressed Seoul's commitment to helping the DPRK if Pyongyang shows willingness to change. Lee made the comments to a DPRK delegation that came to Seoul last month to mourn the death of former ROK President Kim Dae-jung, the ROK's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported, citing an unidentified senior ruling party official.

Other newspapers also carried similar reports.