Chung held his first interview with the press after becoming the head of the National Security Council and said, "Although official talks have ceased for a while, support for the North, intra-Korean economic cooperation and civilian exchanges are going well." Asked if "regret" meant an apology to North Korea, he avoided a direct answer, replying, "Please, understand the word as it is."

Concerning the defector issue, Chung said, "For South Korean NGOs involved in assisting defectors to go beyond helping defectors and induce or encourage defection from the North does not coincide with the policies of intra-Korean reconciliation and may adversely affect relations between the two Koreas... We ask for restraint."

"We are preparing to restart intra-Korean talks and are internally preparing to upgrade the North-South relationship," said Chung. He added, "We are trying hard to expand the Intra-Korean Cooperation Fund and promoting the establishment of a basic law to improve intra-Korean relations."

Chung noted, "If the nuclear issue is solved, the government plans to expand all sorts of North Korean infrastructure and industrial production, and cooperate with technology and financial support in order to revive North Korea's economy and society."

(englishnews@chosun.com )