Unification Ministry Begs Chilly N.Korea for Dialogue

The Unification Ministry on Wednesday urged North Korea to allow South Korean civic groups to visit Pyongyang as part of cross-border exchanges despite being cold-shouldered earlier this week.

"There is no change in the government's desire to resume civilian exchanges with the North for better inter-Korean ties," Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Duk-haeng told reporters. "In that sense, we are urging North Korea to respond the civic groups' requests to visit North Korea."

Lee added the government will probably smile on requests from members of civic groups to visit North Korea given the purpose of the visits and their impact on inter-Korean relations.

But the spokesman stressed that it is important for the North to adhere by previous agreements with the South.

Pyongyang on Monday rejected attempts by South Korean civic groups to resume exchanges and instead blasted the South's support for the latest UN sanctions over the North's missile tests. The North's state media said South Korea must first implement hasty promises made during the years of an uneasy thaw.