Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se says the door for dialogue with North Korea remains open although South Korea has decided to pull out the remaining South Koreans from the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex. Seoul had called on the South Korean workers at the industrial park to return to the South in light of their safety.

The minister made the remarks on Monday during an international conference organized by the foreign ministry.

Yun warned that if North Korea persists with its old moves, its isolation would only deepen and hopes for nuclear possession and economic development will end up as an empty dream.

He also rejected criticism against the new government’s North Korean policy, called the “Korean Peninsula trust process.” He argued that the policy seeks flexibility based on strong deterrence.

In addition, the foreign minister said that some political leaders in Northeast Asia are making controversial remarks denying history, thus impeding cooperation in the region. He said President Park Geun-hye’s visions for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia are aimed to turn the current air of distrust into that of trust and cooperation.