President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday refused to accept his Grand National Party's proposal to send a special envoy to North Korea to thaw frozen inter-Korean relations.

He told reporters that an envoy should be sent at an "appropriate" time in consideration of inter-Korean relations.

He said North Korea should first accept the South's offer of a joint investigation into a shooting death of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier at the Mount Geumgang resort, urging Pyongyang to take measures to prevent the recurrence of such an incident.

However, the president said he expects the inter-Korean relations to improve ultimately, adding that the North would not be able to isolate the South by approaching the United States because Seoul-Beijing ties are better than ever.