With Pyongyang remaining mum on Seoul's offer for talks for nearly 20 days, Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae has criticized North Korea for avoiding dialogue.

Speaking to secondary school principals in Seoul Friday, Ryoo urged North Korea to stop doubting Seoul's sincerity and come forward for talks.
 
He noted that Pyongyang is only talking about setting preconditions for dialogue and as such amounts to avoiding dialogue.
 
On growing calls for lifting the May 24 sanctions and resuming tours to Mt. Geumgang, Ryoo said the two Koreas should first discuss the issues face-to-face in order to resolve them.
 
The minister said that the South wants to be part of mutually beneficial inter-Korean cooperation and exchanges, and it is not interested in projects that would only benefit the North.