The Unification Ministry has denied media speculation that President Park Geun-hye’s remarks on a possible summit with North Korea indicate a shift in the government’s North Korea policy.
 
The president told French daily Le Figaro ahead of her trip to Europe that she could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a summit if it is necessary to build inter-Korean relations.
 
Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Eui-do told reporters Monday that Park’s comment in the interview was general and unspecific.
 
Kim said because the president’s call for a summit in the interview was not a formal proposal, the North has naturally not responded.
 
He added Seoul is not considering a shift in its position towards Pyongyang, including the lifting of punitive sanctions imposed after the North’s sinking of South Korea’s warship Cheonan in 2010.