The senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs says that he would like to talk to North Korea about President Park Geun-hye's unification initiative announced in Germany earlier this year. 
 
In a lecture on unification at a business forum in Jeju on Thursday, Ju Chul-ki said that if the opportunity arises, he wants to tell North Korea himself that the Dresden Initiative envisions a step-by-step exchange between the South and North.
 
He said though the North criticizes the initiative as a scheme to absorb the communist state, such a claim is untrue and South Korea will show its sincerity by following up on its proposal with actions.
 
He said Pyongyang's attitude has slightly changed in the past two to three weeks. He pointed out that the North has said it will hold meetings on humanitarian issues and that the South-North joint committee for the Gaeseong industrial complex has resumed inter-Korean talks.
 
He said the envisioned unification preparation committee under the direct supervision of the president was supposed to be launched in April, but was delayed due to the Sewol ferry accident. He said preparations to launch the committee have been completed and that he expects it to be established following the Cabinet reshuffle.
 
He said North Korea must give up its nuclear development program for support from the international community. He said it will be the only way for the North to come up with the funds it needs to develop infrastructure.