The Unification Ministry said that discussions at a pan governmental meeting in North Korea on Tuesday do not constitute an acceptance of Seoul's offer for government-level talks.
 
In a briefing Wednesday, ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said Seoul regards the discussions on improving cross-border relations only as a reiteration of what North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned in his New Year's address.
 
Lim said it is difficult to view what the North Korean officials discussed as a formal response to Seoul's invitation for talks with Pyongyang.
 
The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that North Korean officials of the government, ruling party and organizations held a joint meeting to discuss follow-up measures to Kim’s New Year’s speech. The meeting participants were cited as stressing that high-level bilateral contact could resume if South Korea chooses to sincerely improve South-North ties through dialogue.