North Korea says the South Korean government must change its policy towards the North in order to improve inter-Korean relations.

The official newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea, Rodong Sinmun, on Wednesday urged South Korea to withdraw its sanction on North Korea that Seoul placed in late May of last year following the North's torpedoing of the South Korean naval vessel "Cheonan" in March.

The North's Korean Central News Agency quoted a contribution to the newspaper as saying that if South Korean authorities wish to improve cross-border ties, they have no reason to stick to the sanctions.

The contribution also said South Korea must fundamentally shift its outdated confrontational policy against the North in order to defuse mistrust and misunderstanding and enhance relations.

It particularly stressed that relations can't be improved without scrapping the sanction measures.