The New York Times is reporting that “South Korea has quietly abandoned its demand that the North apologize for the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel.”

The paper made the claim in its Monday edition in an article titled “South Korea Drops Its Call for Apology From North.”

The article said that Seoul is no longer making an apology for sinking the “Cheonan” naval vessel a condition for the resumption of the nuclear talks or other future exchanges.

The newspaper said President Lee Myung-bak twice declined to say that Seoul demands an apology from Pyongyang for the sinking as a requirement to returning to the six-party talks.

The paper said that Lee instead vowed to look for sincerity in North Korea’s behavior.