hankyoreh

By Kim Kyu-won, staff writer

Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik stated plans to sanction North Korea for its Apr. 13 rocket launch, but also said that he would with continue his “flexibilization” approach and that proposals for dialogue with Pyongyang still stand.

Speaking at a talk with ministry journalists Wednesday morning, Yu said he planned to continue with the approach of increased flexibility in spite of the rocket launch.

“We will continue allowing humanitarian support by private NGOs and assistance to vulnerable segments through international organizations. The offers for dialogue still stand if North Korea accepts sincerely,” he affirmed.

Yu added that the government had not given up hope of improving inter-Korean relations and wanted to leave some room for North Korea to “proceed onto the right path.”

The Unification Minister’s remarks suggest that the government is not giving up the possibility of inter-Korean dialogue despite the Apr. 13 launch and recently confirmed preparations for a third nuclear test. The response is somewhat unusual in light of Seoul’s tepid response to the Feb. 29 agreement between Washington and Pyongyang and hard-line stance on the rocket launch.

But Yu did reaffirm a fundamentally rigid position on the launch and possibility nuclear test. “When Kim Jong-il died last year, we thought there might be a starting point for change, but it doesn’t look like North Korea had the courage or will to do so,” Yu said, adding that Pyongyang had “made the bad choice we feared they would, and went onto the wrong path.”

Yu also said the government would proceed with the necessary sanctions, coordinating closely with the international community.

Regarding the nature of the sanctions, Yu said the government would “withhold its efforts to expand flexibilization measures.

"We are unlikely to branch out from inter-Korean religious and artistic interchange into the areas of sports and academics, and we will have to undertake a somewhat flexible reexamination of the previous exchange and cooperation efforts," he added.

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