President Lee Myung-bak’s top security aide has made clear that Seoul isn't in any hurry to resume talks with North Korea unless it meets certain conditions.

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the U.S. said Sunday that Chun Young-woo expressed such a view during an interview last Friday.

PBS quoted Chun as saying that the South will not engage in direct dialogue with the North until Pyongyang apologizes and unveils the truth about its sinking of the “Cheonan” naval ship and its shelling of the South’s Yeongpyeong Island.

Chung also stressed that if the North keeps on its current course, spending most of its money on military, missile and nuclear weapons programs, "that would be a shortcut to its demise."

He added that he believes the North will not be able to resolve problems related to survival on its own without outside aid, stressing that denuclearization is the only way Pyongyang will be able to get sufficient outside assistance.