Seoul has reiterated a call for Pyongyang to positively respond to its proposals for inter-Korean talks, while also vowing to sternly respond to the regime’s additional missile provocation.
 
Regarding foreign media reports that the North could test-launch another ballistic missile on Thursday, an official of the Ministry of Unification said on Tuesday that a stern response is the South Korean government’s basic stance to any North Korean move to launch a missile.
 
However, the official said Seoul also judges that the absence of dialogue between the two Koreas is not desirable to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula or the easing of tension in the region, urging the North to swiftly respond to the inter-Korean dialogue proposals.
 
Asked about China’s remarks that it does not acknowledge North Korean defectors as refugees, the Seoul official said he thinks the Chinese government knows well the South Korean government’s stance to swiftly and safely help North Koreans wanting to defect to the South.
 
Meanwhile, the official said the ministry has approved a total of 70 requests from South Korean civic groups for inter-Korean contact since the launch of the Moon Jae-in administration.
 
The official added that the North has yet to approve a request from Hyundai Asan, the operator of the suspended tours to Mount Geumgang, to hold a ceremony to commemorate the company’s late chairman, Chung Mong-hun, at the North Korean mountain resort. 

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